I've been doing competitive for a while, but I haven't done an rmt until now, so don't be too harsh! Just looking for some constructive criticism. This team got me close to the top 100 for uu on showdown (only about 50 points away), but as usual, I lost 1 battle and got -170 or something ridiculous like that. That's what I'm hoping to avoid with this rmt. Less -170. As for how this team came to be, it's pretty simple. I found some of what i considered to be my favorite/best pokemon in uu, replaced one with Blastoise so I could have a spinner, and this is the team that came to be! Besides changing a couple sets, I haven't really changed what this team started out as since it works quite well.
THE TEAM:
IN DEPTH:
Froslass @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 240 HP / 16 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
I never see Froslass getting enough credit. She's a really valuable member of this team. This is not a team that centers around entry hazards (since I have an obvious lack of a stealth rock user), so if Froslass can get up Spikes, then great. However, she has some other REALLY helpful aspects. Taunt/T-Wave really helps my team. It allows Froslass to shut down opposing leads (which she will often outspeed due to her great speed) as well as cripple some of the other team's Pokemon by paralyzing them. The EV spread may seem strange for Focus Sash, but it seems to work so far. Froslass will not be taking more powerful hits, so then the HP EVs do not matter in those cases. However, the 240 HP EVs help Frolass avoid being 2HKO'd by weaker hits which she will often be taking from opposing leads. It also gives her an odd number of HP because of Stealth Rocks. If a Gligar dares to stay in and tries to set up rocks or shut down Froslass with a Taunt, 16 EVs in SAtk is all she needs for a guaranteed OHKO. The rest of the EVs max out her speed.
Blastoise @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
Evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic
- Roar/Haze
My team, half of it being weak to rocks, needed a spinner. Blastoise gets the job done well. It is a surprisingly great physical wall, taking most physical attacks with ease. It can spin away rocks, which my team greatly appreciates, spread status, and stop stat boosters. For the last slot, I've been playing around with both roar and haze. Roar usually works well with rocks, which my team does not have, so I thought i might try out haze, and I'm very torn between roar or haze. Most Pokemon that use moves such as Bulk Up/Sword's Dance/Dragon Dance etc. have to manually switch after Blastoise uses Haze, allowing it to get off a free Scald/Toxic, or even spin away rocks. Not to mention roar can have some unfortunate consequences if I Roar in something Blastoise is weak to. On the other hand, Pokemon that set up on the special side are tough for Blastoise if it can't Roar them out, and Haze can't do anything about a Sub.
Meloetta @ Life Orb
Trait: Serene Grace
Evs: 200 Atk / 56 SAtk / 252 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Relic Song
- Close Combat
- Psychic
- U-Turn
I realized how powerful Meloetta's Pirouette Forme is when it OHKO'd a Rotom-H that had no prior damage on it with an un-boosted Close Combat. The idea behind this Meloetta is simple, and very team-specific. It runs a +Atk nature instead of a +Spd nature to give it more power. However, it (obviously) outspeeds fewer Pokemon that way. However, my team can make up for that. Meloetta can easily come in on a weakened Pokemon that is paralyzed thanks to Froslass or Togekiss, and finish it off with the Relic Song to transform. From there, it can deal a lot of damage with a stab Close Combat, or deal a lot of damage while keeping momentum by going for a U-Turn. Meloetta can still work in its Aria Forme however, thanks to having Psychic and a few SAtk EVs. I'd like to say there was much of a point to the EVs, but there isn't. I simply maxed out Meloetta's Speed, gave it lots of Attack to power up its Pirouette Forme, and threw a few EVs in Special Attack to give its Aria Forme a little extra power. These fairly random EVs could probably be changed if I found something I needed to OHKO or something along those lines.
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Def / 200 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Heal Bell
- Wish
What a great team player right here. For a defensive Togekiss variant, it is surprising how many KO's it gets. So many people will stay in on Togekiss, thinking they can break through the paraflinch chain, but end up hopelessly watching their Pokemon's HP get whittled away until it faints. Togekiss's ability to paralyze Pokemon is greatly appreciated by my team, even without the paraflinch chains. It also acts as a cleric for my team, since it has Heal Bell and Wish. Unfortunately, I have not been able to pass off many wishes successfully, making me think that Roost may be a better option, though I have yet to try it out. The EV's give Togekiss an odd number for HP, and respectable special bulk (I know for a fact i can take any hit Zapdos wants to throw at me from full health, as long as it's not a crit, and paralyze it), as well as a little physical bulk. Just like Meloetta, there may be reasoning behind the EVs, but I haven't been able to figure out the completely optimal numbers yet.
Victini @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 SDef/ 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, - SAtk)
- V-Create
- Bolt Strike
- Zen Headbutt
- U-Turn
When Banded Victini comes out, it almost always means something is going to faint on my opponent's team. Banded V-Create is powerful, and has even 2HKO'd Blastoise, when it expects to come in and be able to tank some hits. If my opponent does not have a Flash Fire Pokemon, I am free to fire off a V-Create and at least severely damage one of my opponent's Pokemon, if it's not an OHKO on whatever they send in. Bolt Strike is good for predicting Water type switch-ins, Zen Headbutt is for dual-stab, and U-Turn is for momentum. Victini is another pokemon that appreciates the paralyzing that Froslass and Togekiss can cause, especially after the drops in the Defenses and Speed that V-Create causes. Victini just has a straightforward offensive EV spread so it can cause the most damage possible.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 Def/ 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+ Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
Scarf Heracross is a common sight, and there is a good reason for that. I can't even begin to say how many teams I have swept late-game with Heracross once its counters are out of the way, and to be honest, a few counters in the tier are the only things stopping Heracross from sweeping every team out there. It easily has the most kills on my team (I counted kills one day for a few battles and it beat all my other team members by a LOT). I decided to try out Pursuit, but I'm probably going to get rid of it since I don't think I have even found 1 situation where I was glad to have it. Besides that, this is pretty much your standard (and AMAZING) Scarf/Moxie Heracross, so I don't think I have to go into much more detail about it.
THREATS:
Houndoom:
Offensive Dark types seem to be the biggest trouble for this team. I find it hard to switch in Heracross in on an offensive Dark type since the opponent could see it coming, and Heracross is a team member I cannot afford to lose due to a misprediction on my part. Houndoom is the #1 worst thing to switch Heracross into, and can be hard to play around if Blastiose is down. I'm just thankful that Houndoom is such a fragile Pokemon, so i can kill it after it tears a hole through my team.
Scrafty:
Once again, it's offensive dark types that are tough to play around. Bulk Up Scrafty isn't too bad for my team, but Dragon Dance Scrafty is usually tough to play around for my team without some sort of status on it, and even then DD Scrafty sometimes carries a Lum Berry (but thankfully, it usually isn't Shed Skin)
Raikou:
Offensive electric types also give me trouble, since I lack an electric resistance. Raikou can be especially troublesome because of it's high speed, that is, if I can't get it paralyzed. I don't list Zapdos as a threat because I've learned ways to play around it with this team.
IMPORTABLE: (I know, it's not in the same order as above, so sorry for that)
Thanks very much for reading this, and I hope this can help my team get to its full potential!
THE TEAM:
IN DEPTH:
Froslass @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 240 HP / 16 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
I never see Froslass getting enough credit. She's a really valuable member of this team. This is not a team that centers around entry hazards (since I have an obvious lack of a stealth rock user), so if Froslass can get up Spikes, then great. However, she has some other REALLY helpful aspects. Taunt/T-Wave really helps my team. It allows Froslass to shut down opposing leads (which she will often outspeed due to her great speed) as well as cripple some of the other team's Pokemon by paralyzing them. The EV spread may seem strange for Focus Sash, but it seems to work so far. Froslass will not be taking more powerful hits, so then the HP EVs do not matter in those cases. However, the 240 HP EVs help Frolass avoid being 2HKO'd by weaker hits which she will often be taking from opposing leads. It also gives her an odd number of HP because of Stealth Rocks. If a Gligar dares to stay in and tries to set up rocks or shut down Froslass with a Taunt, 16 EVs in SAtk is all she needs for a guaranteed OHKO. The rest of the EVs max out her speed.
Blastoise @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
Evs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic
- Roar/Haze
My team, half of it being weak to rocks, needed a spinner. Blastoise gets the job done well. It is a surprisingly great physical wall, taking most physical attacks with ease. It can spin away rocks, which my team greatly appreciates, spread status, and stop stat boosters. For the last slot, I've been playing around with both roar and haze. Roar usually works well with rocks, which my team does not have, so I thought i might try out haze, and I'm very torn between roar or haze. Most Pokemon that use moves such as Bulk Up/Sword's Dance/Dragon Dance etc. have to manually switch after Blastoise uses Haze, allowing it to get off a free Scald/Toxic, or even spin away rocks. Not to mention roar can have some unfortunate consequences if I Roar in something Blastoise is weak to. On the other hand, Pokemon that set up on the special side are tough for Blastoise if it can't Roar them out, and Haze can't do anything about a Sub.
Meloetta @ Life Orb
Trait: Serene Grace
Evs: 200 Atk / 56 SAtk / 252 Spd
Lonely Nature (+Atk, -Def)
- Relic Song
- Close Combat
- Psychic
- U-Turn
I realized how powerful Meloetta's Pirouette Forme is when it OHKO'd a Rotom-H that had no prior damage on it with an un-boosted Close Combat. The idea behind this Meloetta is simple, and very team-specific. It runs a +Atk nature instead of a +Spd nature to give it more power. However, it (obviously) outspeeds fewer Pokemon that way. However, my team can make up for that. Meloetta can easily come in on a weakened Pokemon that is paralyzed thanks to Froslass or Togekiss, and finish it off with the Relic Song to transform. From there, it can deal a lot of damage with a stab Close Combat, or deal a lot of damage while keeping momentum by going for a U-Turn. Meloetta can still work in its Aria Forme however, thanks to having Psychic and a few SAtk EVs. I'd like to say there was much of a point to the EVs, but there isn't. I simply maxed out Meloetta's Speed, gave it lots of Attack to power up its Pirouette Forme, and threw a few EVs in Special Attack to give its Aria Forme a little extra power. These fairly random EVs could probably be changed if I found something I needed to OHKO or something along those lines.
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 248 HP / 60 Def / 200 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Heal Bell
- Wish
What a great team player right here. For a defensive Togekiss variant, it is surprising how many KO's it gets. So many people will stay in on Togekiss, thinking they can break through the paraflinch chain, but end up hopelessly watching their Pokemon's HP get whittled away until it faints. Togekiss's ability to paralyze Pokemon is greatly appreciated by my team, even without the paraflinch chains. It also acts as a cleric for my team, since it has Heal Bell and Wish. Unfortunately, I have not been able to pass off many wishes successfully, making me think that Roost may be a better option, though I have yet to try it out. The EV's give Togekiss an odd number for HP, and respectable special bulk (I know for a fact i can take any hit Zapdos wants to throw at me from full health, as long as it's not a crit, and paralyze it), as well as a little physical bulk. Just like Meloetta, there may be reasoning behind the EVs, but I haven't been able to figure out the completely optimal numbers yet.
Victini @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 SDef/ 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, - SAtk)
- V-Create
- Bolt Strike
- Zen Headbutt
- U-Turn
When Banded Victini comes out, it almost always means something is going to faint on my opponent's team. Banded V-Create is powerful, and has even 2HKO'd Blastoise, when it expects to come in and be able to tank some hits. If my opponent does not have a Flash Fire Pokemon, I am free to fire off a V-Create and at least severely damage one of my opponent's Pokemon, if it's not an OHKO on whatever they send in. Bolt Strike is good for predicting Water type switch-ins, Zen Headbutt is for dual-stab, and U-Turn is for momentum. Victini is another pokemon that appreciates the paralyzing that Froslass and Togekiss can cause, especially after the drops in the Defenses and Speed that V-Create causes. Victini just has a straightforward offensive EV spread so it can cause the most damage possible.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 Def/ 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+ Spd, -SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
Scarf Heracross is a common sight, and there is a good reason for that. I can't even begin to say how many teams I have swept late-game with Heracross once its counters are out of the way, and to be honest, a few counters in the tier are the only things stopping Heracross from sweeping every team out there. It easily has the most kills on my team (I counted kills one day for a few battles and it beat all my other team members by a LOT). I decided to try out Pursuit, but I'm probably going to get rid of it since I don't think I have even found 1 situation where I was glad to have it. Besides that, this is pretty much your standard (and AMAZING) Scarf/Moxie Heracross, so I don't think I have to go into much more detail about it.
THREATS:
Houndoom:
Offensive Dark types seem to be the biggest trouble for this team. I find it hard to switch in Heracross in on an offensive Dark type since the opponent could see it coming, and Heracross is a team member I cannot afford to lose due to a misprediction on my part. Houndoom is the #1 worst thing to switch Heracross into, and can be hard to play around if Blastiose is down. I'm just thankful that Houndoom is such a fragile Pokemon, so i can kill it after it tears a hole through my team.
Scrafty:
Once again, it's offensive dark types that are tough to play around. Bulk Up Scrafty isn't too bad for my team, but Dragon Dance Scrafty is usually tough to play around for my team without some sort of status on it, and even then DD Scrafty sometimes carries a Lum Berry (but thankfully, it usually isn't Shed Skin)
Raikou:
Offensive electric types also give me trouble, since I lack an electric resistance. Raikou can be especially troublesome because of it's high speed, that is, if I can't get it paralyzed. I don't list Zapdos as a threat because I've learned ways to play around it with this team.
IMPORTABLE: (I know, it's not in the same order as above, so sorry for that)
Meloetta @ Life Orb
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 200 Atk / 252 Spd / 56 SAtk
Lonely Nature
- Relic Song
- Close Combat
- Psychic
- U-turn
Blastoise (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic
- Haze
Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 Spd / 240 HP / 16 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
Heracross (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
Victini @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 248 HP / 200 SDef / 60 Def
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Heal Bell
- Wish
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 200 Atk / 252 Spd / 56 SAtk
Lonely Nature
- Relic Song
- Close Combat
- Psychic
- U-turn
Blastoise (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Toxic
- Haze
Froslass (F) @ Focus Sash
Trait: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 Spd / 240 HP / 16 SAtk
Timid Nature
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Thunder Wave
- Ice Beam
Heracross (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit
Victini @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Jolly Nature
- V-create
- Bolt Strike
- Zen Headbutt
- U-turn
Togekiss @ Leftovers
Trait: Serene Grace
EVs: 248 HP / 200 SDef / 60 Def
Calm Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Air Slash
- Heal Bell
- Wish
