The UU Dark Horse Project

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Ladder has been updated for Serp with contrary?
Yeah, I've been playing around with a set I can edit in later running Leaf Storm/Glare/Dragon Pulse/Hidden Power Ground that's been doing pretty well for me so far. It's a great DH to use since its usage is 0.03, its basically a free Mon, and it's great for beating up all of the bulky waters in the tier, and its speed tier can let it act as a late game cleaner as well. I mean I'd like it to hit harder before a contrary boost, but I'm impressed so far.
 

Hogg

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Currently at 1415. Here's a replay of Kyurem and Amoongus saving the day: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-200909138 I almost lose it early on, expecting CMSub Chandy when he was actually playing Specs, only to see him completely wreck Tentacruel, and then losing my only Shadow Ball switch-in by taking an HJK when I had expected a U-turn. I realize pretty early on that the team has absolutely zero switch-ins to Specs Chandy, but that Kyurem takes out basically anything on his team not named Scarfshao. So, I play a balancing act using Amoongus to check Scarfshao and slowly saccing team members to get Kyurem in safely against Chandy, and eventually it pays off in the end.

And, because this is how my luck goes, I basically have yet to come across Mega-Diancie despite intentionally building something to be good in the Diancie meta. Sigh.
 
I've chosen Houndoom and Quagsire as my DHs. My whole team is Houndoom, Quagsire, Chesnaught, Goodra, Mienshao, and Aerodactyl for the time being.
 
Fresh Alt: DaWeezingDuckDH

Cress
Weezing
Vaporeon
Absol
Crobat
Serperior

Serp, Weez and Cress are my DH, it comes to like 33% and some change. Contrary serp is pretty stupid just from playtesting. I like it more than scept tbh.

Oh and Mega absol only having 4.5% usage is way too low
 
Currently at 1415. Here's a replay of Kyurem and Amoongus saving the day: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-200909138 I almost lose it early on, expecting CMSub Chandy when he was actually playing Specs, only to see him completely wreck Tentacruel, and then losing my only Shadow Ball switch-in by taking an HJK when I had expected a U-turn. I realize pretty early on that the team has absolutely zero switch-ins to Specs Chandy, but that Kyurem takes out basically anything on his team not named Scarfshao. So, I play a balancing act using Amoongus to check Scarfshao and slowly saccing team members to get Kyurem in safely against Chandy, and eventually it pays off in the end.

And, because this is how my luck goes, I basically have yet to come across Mega-Diancie despite intentionally building something to be good in the Diancie meta. Sigh.
That was a close match tbh. The key turn was when Kyurem was down to 29%. If you had subbed, game wouldve been lost (2 BB plus moxie boost) or if he had clicked sucker punch instead of BB it wouldve been a clean sweep for honch. Very close game though. Did all that go through your mind on that turn?

CoolStoryBrobat here are my %s by the way...

Cress:2.2%
Weezing:1.07%
Vaporeon: 8.99%
Crobat: 16.2%
Absol:4.57%
Serperior:0.5%

Total is like 33-34% at most.
 

Hogg

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That was a close match tbh. The key turn was when Kyurem was down to 29%. If you had subbed, game wouldve been lost (2 BB plus moxie boost) or if he had clicked sucker punch instead of BB it wouldve been a clean sweep for honch. Very close game though. Did all that go through your mind on that turn?
It was super close - really, when I lost Pidgeot I expected to lose the game, since without it Chandy was free to spam Specs Shadow Ball. In retrospect it was really dumb to risk Pidgeot so early, but I figured he would have wanted to scout out my switch with a U-turn. Dumb play on my part, and it almost cost me the game - only coming out ahead later in a 50/50 salvaged it.

Regarding Honch at the end... He really had to BB there. If he had Sucker Punched and I had put up a Sub, Kyurem would have swept his team. At least with BB it would ensure that there was no Sub up even if Honch died in the process, and he might have a chance between Shao and Chandy.
 
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Just wondering, in the OP, it says that you can't quit and reset with a different set of DHs. Does this mean if you have 3-4 DHs, you can't remove 1-2 of them, or is it ok?
 

CoolStoryBrobat

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Just wondering, in the OP, it says that you can't quit and reset with a different set of DHs. Does this mean if you have 3-4 DHs, you can't remove 1-2 of them, or is it ok?
Like.you can't start over on a new alt, basically. You gotta stick with the one you have. You can change your Dark Horses and the rest of your team as you wish, so long as it stays within that 35% restriction
 
Day 1 Summary:

Sitting at 1235 as of now and am going to take a break for the night with a 10-1 record.

Quick thoughts:

1. Weezing is boss, which I've battled against, but have never really used before. With Haxorus declining in usage (less than 5.5% if I recall correctly), Mold Breaker + Levitate isn't as big of a concern. Definitely pulling its weight on the team.

2. Cress is an excellent pivot, check and wincon all wrapped into one. That 120/120/130 defenses are no joke. Gen 6 gave it access to Moonblast which lets it check dark types. Honestly, I won't be surprised if they give Cress a Mega Evo next gen with Psychic/Fairy. This is also a great check to Mega Diancie to set up CM boosts and easily PP Stall Diamond Storm.

3. Serperior was a last minute addition which I honestly couldn't pass up. This little gem is going to be under the radar, but can definitely reach UU in time. I think the biggest abilities to be released in ORAS were Adaptability Dragalgae and Contrary Serperior. Adaptability Drag is fun to nuke things with, but we all know the speed is a let down. But, Contrary Serperior is a different beast altogether. 120 Base Stab that gives you +2? Yes, please! This is one of the few special attackers that can 2HKO most special walls. But, the biggest selling points IMO for Serp is Glare. 100% accurate paralysis. I've caught so many Jirachi and Crobat off guard, hoping to tank the Leaf Storm, just to be nailed by Glare. Dragon Pulse and Hidden Power round out the coverage moves. People may think that Mega Sceptile is superior (no pun intended) to Serp, but I think Serp is a sweeper, unlike regular Sub + 3 Attacks Mega Scept.

4. Mega Absol has been declining in usage last month (4.57%) and I'm really not sure why. It's still really effective at what it does. One of the most common leads in the game, Sash Azelf, is pretty common. And this replay shows how people try to play against Mega Absol. Turn 2 with Sash Azelf vs. Mega Absol. Non-sash Azelf would not switch into Mega Absol, leading to the obvious conclusion that this must be Explosion. They are hoping to tank the Sucker Punch, survive and take out my mega. As you see in this replay, I saw it coming and switched into my wall, forcing the forfeit lol

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-201234295

5. Vaporeon and Crobat are my highest usage mons. Honestly, it is difficult to make a team without Crobat. It's a great glue of a mon that jives with almost every team. I was originally going to use Scarf Shao for a RK, but decided that hazard control was too much responsibility on Mega Absol alone and that he needed support. Crobat is a great pivot mon and is very obvious why it is a S-Ranked mon. Vaporeon is a good glue/cleric for my team to absorb random fire moves and pass off huge wishes. I was a little afraid of Suicune, so that really added to my decision for Vaporeon.

Well, until tomorrow fellow Dark Hessians! :-P

 

Hogg

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So, I keep hovering at the edge of C-rank and then losing a few matches and dropping down. I've gotten up to ~1490 multiple times, only to drop back down to the low 1400s.

The biggest problem is that, for a balance team, it's really way too passive. I was hoping Tspikes + SubRoost Kyurem and Work Up Pidgeot would be enough offensive pressure, but the team really struggles against stall. It also pretty much auto-loses to bulky set-up sweepers, in particular CurseLax and CM Reuni. (CroCune and mono-attacking CurseLax aren't too bad, because I can usually use Kyurem to pressure stall them out of their single attack, but it's risky.)

I may need to rethink my three non-horses to give this team a little oomph. I really like the defensive core I've got going, but it's just missing something. Still not bad for a team I literally threw together in a few minutes of perusing the usage stats, but not really up to par.
 
Hogg if youre looking for a little more oomph what about CB Entei over Arcanine? Sacred fires 50% burn chance will help spread burn along with t spikes for groujded foes. The mons that can easily absorb t spikes wont want to switch in on Sacred fire (nidos, forry, etc..). Bulldoze can maim Tentacruel as well.
 
Ok, so I suck at teambuilding (and the ladder is just annoying w/ their steel and fire types @_@) I couldn't really get Kingdra + M-Abomasnow to work the way I wanted it to. Kingdra was really fun since it decimated the few stall teams I saw in the ladder, but neither of them were really effective. So I changed my team :/



Shinies = DHs

The team usage total is about 34.38% when I calced it (stupid crobat + hydreigon being so high @_@)

Dugtrio @ Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
EVs: 252 Atk / 40 Def / 216 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace
- Stealth Rock

Crobat @ Choice Band
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Cross Poison
- U-turn
- Sleep Talk

Dragalge @ Draco Plate
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 124 HP / 252 SpA / 132 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Draco Meteor
- Sludge Wave
- Focus Blast
- Toxic Spikes

Hydreigon @ Life Orb
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 56 Atk / 200 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Draco Meteor
- Superpower
- Dark Pulse
- Roost

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Giga Drain
- Moonblast
- U-turn
- Encore

Reuniclus @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Calm Mind
- Recover
- Psyshock
- Shadow Ball


The premise is pretty simple. Dugtrio easily kills Fire, Electric, Rock, but mainly Steel types. Crobat + Whimsicott's U-turn easily lures in Steel types for Duggy. When they're gone, Dragalge has a field day, decimating annoying balance teams. Reuniclus is the main win-con, beating most balance and stall teams when certain members and gone. This team, with no scarfer, does find opposing offensive teams annoying, but they can be played around with good prediction and switches. Dark types are very annoying, particularly Umbreon, since they single-handedly stop any hope of a Reunicluse sweep until they're dead. And if Whimsicott isn't there to stop them, it becomes difficult to win.

I guess I should post at least one replay of the team, so here you go: http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-201706961

I'm just doing about 50 points a day, so I'm around 1250 currently. It's a steady pace.

Any reccomendations would be appreciated n_n!
 
Any reccomendations would be appreciated n_n!
Try running Dragon Tail over Focus Blast on Dragalge. Focus Blast doesn't hit hard at all due to not being boosted by Adaptability or your item [252+ SpA Dragalge Focus Blast vs. 144 HP / 176+ SpD Snorlax: 170-200 (34.2 - 40.2%) -- 40.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery], and Dragon Tail is a great way to wear down special walls like Umbreon (prevents it from reliably healing!) and Blissey that can give your team a hard time. It's also got a nice boost from Adaptability+pl8. Don't worry about running Mild or w/e over Modest, the power difference in Dragon Tail is not noticeable. Also, I'd recommend Sucker Punch over Aerial Ace on Dugtrio, letting you trap Scarf Jirachi and get off a clean ~50%. Aerial doesn't do shit to anything besides Virizion anyway (and the rest of your team laughs at that thing lol). Finally if Dark types are that much of an issue, Signal Beam on Reuniclus could be a thing, except you lose out on hitting Jirachi and Chandelure super effectively if you switch it with Shadow Ball. Not sure whether you consider these two or Dark-types more threatening, but just wanted to make sure you were aware of that, hope I could help :]
 
Shaymin :D Cool team, just one point. Looking at your team quickly, I'd say watch out for Double-Dance Mega Diancie. The only thing that can stop it then is maybe Encore on Whimsicott. Just to guarantee it won't stop your team cold. I'd recommend Sash > LO on Duggy. After Mega Diancie gets the boot, then either LO or CB would be ideal. But, no spinner or defogger doesn't guarantee your sash will stay. So, it's kind of a 50/50 and preferences.

252 Atk Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Diancie: 236-282 (97.9 - 117%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

Just so you are aware that LO Is not entirely needed.

Oh, and why Draco Plate on Drag? I think you'd be better off with Black Sludge, but that's me....
 

warzoid

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Alt: zoid's warhorse

| 22 | Lucario | 8.48566%
| 30 | Azelf | 7.21489%
| 39 | Aerodactyl | 6.17384%
| 68 | Dragalge | 2.27066%
| 78 | Magneton | 1.59254%
| 248 | Serperior | 0.03914%


Total: ≈25.68%
 
Sitting at just above 1300 for the night with a 13-1 record.

I'm calling it now, Serp definitely has potential to bump up to UU without a doubt in the next tier shift. It's pretty easy to spam barring Rachi and Crobat, neither of which appreciate Glare. I've only seen a few on the ladder so far, but this is going to be have a huge impact on the meta.
 
Shaymin :D Cool team, just one point. Looking at your team quickly, I'd say watch out for Double-Dance Mega Diancie. The only thing that can stop it then is maybe Encore on Whimsicott. Just to guarantee it won't stop your team cold. I'd recommend Sash > LO on Duggy. After Mega Diancie gets the boot, then either LO or CB would be ideal. But, no spinner or defogger doesn't guarantee your sash will stay. So, it's kind of a 50/50 and preferences.

252 Atk Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Diancie: 236-282 (97.9 - 117%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

Just so you are aware that LO Is not entirely needed.

Oh, and why Draco Plate on Drag? I think you'd be better off with Black Sludge, but that's me....
Except Encore gets bounced back by Magic Bounce so he really doesn't have a check for it lol.

If you are really concerned about Diancie setting up however, Steel Wing can be opted over Sleep Talk as a lure, but it still gets free setup upon Hydreigon so....
 
Try running Dragon Tail over Focus Blast on Dragalge. Focus Blast doesn't hit hard at all due to not being boosted by Adaptability or your item [252+ SpA Dragalge Focus Blast vs. 144 HP / 176+ SpD Snorlax: 170-200 (34.2 - 40.2%) -- 40.7% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery], and Dragon Tail is a great way to wear down special walls like Umbreon (prevents it from reliably healing!) and Blissey that can give your team a hard time. It's also got a nice boost from Adaptability+pl8. Don't worry about running Mild or w/e over Modest, the power difference in Dragon Tail is not noticeable. Also, I'd recommend Sucker Punch over Aerial Ace on Dugtrio, letting you trap Scarf Jirachi and get off a clean ~50%. Aerial doesn't do shit to anything besides Virizion anyway (and the rest of your team laughs at that thing lol). Finally if Dark types are that much of an issue, Signal Beam on Reuniclus could be a thing, except you lose out on hitting Jirachi and Chandelure super effectively if you switch it with Shadow Ball. Not sure whether you consider these two or Dark-types more threatening, but just wanted to make sure you were aware of that, hope I could help :]
Thanks for the reply, dodmen ! Dragon Tail seems pretty good, especially for stopping Wish passers as you mentioned. I don't remember why I put Aerial Ace. I think it was to weaken Rose/Shaymin and do something to Chesnaught, but yeah, that's completely unneeded thanks to Crobat. I'll consider Signal Beam, but since Reuniclus is my main (Scarf)Rachi answer, being able to hit it SE is nice. It also hits other Steels like M-Aggron neutrally. Thank you for your help :toast:

Shaymin :D Cool team, just one point. Looking at your team quickly, I'd say watch out for Double-Dance Mega Diancie. The only thing that can stop it then is maybe Encore on Whimsicott. Just to guarantee it won't stop your team cold. I'd recommend Sash > LO on Duggy. After Mega Diancie gets the boot, then either LO or CB would be ideal. But, no spinner or defogger doesn't guarantee your sash will stay. So, it's kind of a 50/50 and preferences.

252 Atk Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 0 HP / 0 Def Diancie: 236-282 (97.9 - 117%) -- 87.5% chance to OHKO

Just so you are aware that LO Is not entirely needed.

Oh, and why Draco Plate on Drag? I think you'd be better off with Black Sludge, but that's me....
Thanks for the reply, Patrick1088 ! Mega Diancie @_@ I didn't even consider it when I was teambuilding. Thank goodness I haven't ran into it at all for some reason, but it's just so hard to beat. Whimsicott can't even Encore it because of Magic Bounce! Even though Sash would help me versus it, Duggy is just so weak that it doesn't come close to KOing things I would expect it to, such as Empoleon and Mega-Ampharos:

252 Atk Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 132 HP / 0 Def Mega Ampharos: 228-270 (64.4 - 76.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

252 Atk Dugtrio Earthquake vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Empoleon: 264-312 (70.9 - 83.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

Both of these are easily KOs with LO + SR. In my mind, it's just not worth it. I'll just wait until it gets booted and hope I don't encounter any lol.

Black Sludge... I haven't even consider it! It seems like a perfectly good choice, especially if I decide to run Dragon Tail. I'll test both and see which I prefer. Thanks for your help!
 
Except Encore gets bounced back by Magic Bounce so he really doesn't have a check for it lol.

If you are really concerned about Diancie setting up however, Steel Wing can be opted over Sleep Talk as a lure, but it still gets free setup upon Hydreigon so....
Derp youre right. Its not the first time i keep forgetting it gets magic bounce. Actually it cost me a match before :-( i went to go WoW from Weezing which would make it easier for the rest of my team and i completely forgot...
 
Broke 1400 just now!

Absol, while not my DH, is starting to pull the mvp slot as i climb on the ladder. Weesing, Serp and Cress arr all doing their jobs as well. I should hit 1500 definitely by end of this week.
 
Dropped from 1460 to 1368 in a half hour :-(

Reuniclus, Rachi and Chandy are just a pain. Reuni can actually beat Cress while rachi and chandy can blow through my team like tissue paper, which im helpless against unless i get mega absol in safely, which he cqnt switch in on either. Very frustrating...
 
Dropped from 1460 to 1368 in a half hour :-(

Reuniclus, Rachi and Chandy are just a pain. Reuni can actually beat Cress while rachi and chandy can blow through my team like tissue paper, which im helpless against unless i get mega absol in safely, which he cqnt switch in on either. Very frustrating...
Hey, how about either Swampert or Empoleon over Vaporeon. I don't know whether they are useable usage wise (since it seems like your team is p. close to the limit) but it you can use them, they could help. They both give your team SR which (if you didn't change your team) you seem to be lacking. They both also give you Roar, which can check Reuniclus quite well unless last mon. They both have their advantages, Swampert dealing w/ electric types better, and Empoleon dealing w/ Chandy better. Empoleon (if you decide to run it) can also free up defog on Crobat, letting it have taunt instead, which is pretty nice.

Again, idk if usage wise they fit in well, but they seem p good, especially for SR + dealing w/ reuniclus much better. Hope I helped!
 
Shaymin :D unfortunately empoleon would put me over by about 3%. But, if i use empoleon as my defogger, i may be able to find a new mon for crobat who sits at a hefty 16% usage. It is possible to drop crobat for a late game cleaner like speed boost yanmega. Ill look into it to see what happens though. thanks for the advice!

By the way, I got back up to 1457 from that dry spell yesterday
 
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