Hey everybody! This is my first post ever (woo)! I was moderately active on the Shoddy Battle scene back in the 4th Gen era, and I decided to poke my head back in just as BW2 was coming out, and I am now hooked (ugh, there goes my productivity...). I've made something like 3-4 teams and "borrowed" many more RMTs to try out, primarily in UU and OU.
Barfoo is my "original" UU team and therefore the one I know best. I have had moderate success so far (I'd guess at least a 50% win ratio) but I'm looking to make it even better! That's where RMT comes in, I suppose... =D
This team is primarily built around three mini-cores. So it's like a triple-core Pokemon processing unit...or something. O_o
While at first glance, it looks like this team's typing would have some huge and obvious weaknesses, it doesn't actually. Just hear me out!
Support
This pair gives my team some much-needed extra bulk and support.
Gligar @ Eviolite
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Taunt/Toxic
- Earthquake
Gligar functions as the dedicated lead. His lead role is quite standard: set up Stealth Rock and get out.
But Gligar also has a useful mid-game function as a huge physical wall (from Smogon's strat article: Gligar can take hits from powerhouses including Crobat, Flygon, Heracross, Escavalier, Durant, Snorlax, and Bisharp), as well as a great switch-in against Raikou (as long as I don't suspect HP Ice). Roost provides the recovery, and EQ provides some damaging capability.
With less than 270 Speed, he won't be out-speeding many top threats in UU, so I am somewhat torn between Toxic and Taunt. Given that Gligar is of middling speed, he can only Taunt slow, bulky sweepers like Snorlax, and shut down some other slow hazard-layers like Bronzong and Registeel. I sometimes think I prefer Toxic, which provides good anti-stall. Still not sure on this one.
Topper (Hitmontop) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Fake Out
- Mach Punch
- Sucker Punch/Aerial Ace/Stone Edge
Ah, my hybrid UtiliTechniTop. (Yep, I coined that moveset name five seconds ago. Not that it's really unique...) Topper is my go-to guy for spin support, but also as a great physical revenge killer. The one-two Fake Out plus priority punch combo is fabulous for taking out many top UU threats like Arcanine, Empoleon, even Raikou with rocks damage.
This hybrid set has some dangers. There is no good STAB like Close Combat, but I figure I'm not using Topper for power anyway, so I prefer Rapid Spin. I've got yet another hard choice picking the last move.While I typically go for Bullet Punch for better neutral coverage, Bullet Punch is now illegal on this set. Sucker Punch deals effectively with Ghost and Psychic threats, and so that's my preferred move. Aerial Ace is another alternative I haven't tried yet, but I don't usually have much problem against Heracross and Roserade, so long as Gonfly and Zapper are still functioning.
The biggest threat against this set is Crobat, which I won't be out-speeding anyway. Anticipating switch-ins well could make Stone Edge a viable last move, but I deem it better left up to the experts in the offensive cores.
The Electric Duo
Don't be fooled by the shared Electric type. Thanks to the magic of the Flying type, Zapdos is immune to Ground anyway. As Electric attacks only have issues against Dragon, Grass, Electric, and Ground, these two have got those weaknesses covered. Heat Wave for Grass, HP Ice for the others except Electric, for which we want Flygon or Gligar.
These two form a great Volt Switch pair. Add U-Turn Flygon and Kingdra into the mix, and we have a classic but dangerous offense.
Raikou @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Rash Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Aura Sphere
- Volt Switch
Raikou is the speed demon on the team. His already great Speed is boosted by 252 EVs and a Choice Scarf. This leaves it a bit less offensive than one might like, but with the likes of STAB Volt Switch and T-Bolt, Aura Sphere to hit Dark, Rock and Steel where it hurts, Raikou is the go-to Special revenge killer and sweeper. The addition of HP Ice makes for some relatively complete coverage to go with Zapdos' Grass and Fire.
Zapper (Zapdos) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Heat Wave
- Volt Switch
Pretty standard SpA Expert Belt set. Zapdos hits nearly every threat for Super Effective damage, so Expert Belt is a really useful tool, one that I prefer over Life Orb and a Choice item for Zapdos. HP Grass is the surprise waiting for opposing Swampert and Quagsire. Zapdos has only Rock and Ice to fear, and hopefully HP Grass and Heat Wave will take care of pre-weakened threats.
Dragon Storm
Whereas the first offensive core is based around Thunderbolt and Volt-Switch, here we find more variety. Gonfly's physical sweeping threat coupled with Kingy's beastly Special attacks makes for a winning combination.
Gonfly (Flygon) @ Choice Band
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Fire Punch
Gonfly the Physical sweeper is definitely best saved for last. Often, I get folks who rage quit on me when they are down to 2-3 pokes and Outrage begins. Choice Band ensures that those who do not surrender are simply plowed through. A lot of the strategy that goes into playing this team is taking out anything that resists Dragon and has a chance of both out-speeding Gonfly and carrying Ice, which is generally no more than half a given team. (My own Scarfed Raikou with HP Ice comes to mind.) I like that Gonfly doesn't require much setup beyond rocks; however, its pitifully weak to Ice and any scarfed Dragon. If I have a Gligar and Zapdos-shaped hole on my team, I may have to rely on Gonfly to take out some Grass or Electric threats, which is riskier, but doable.
Kingy (Kingdra) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Good old Kingy. I like HP Electric for its ability to hit Empoleon and Suicune. Anyone unfortunate enough to run a Rain team is in for a bit of a floor-wiping when it comes to Speced Dragon Pulse. Even without Rain, Kingy's lack of weaknesses except against Dragon make it a very huge asset to this team. The offensive synergy with Flygon is also amazing. Between them, they carry Dragon, Water, Fire, Bug, Ground, and Electric attacks. Not bad.
Top Threats
The top threats to this team, in my perception, are lopsided mirror matches. In particular, fast Dragons and Zapdos are problematic to my team. My inclination thus far has been not to use a Scarfed Flygon, but I'm beginning to wonder if that is a better option to counter the fast metagame.
I will write more threats and strategy later when I have a chance to play some more. But for now, let me know what you think!
Barfoo is my "original" UU team and therefore the one I know best. I have had moderate success so far (I'd guess at least a 50% win ratio) but I'm looking to make it even better! That's where RMT comes in, I suppose... =D
This team is primarily built around three mini-cores. So it's like a triple-core Pokemon processing unit...or something. O_o
While at first glance, it looks like this team's typing would have some huge and obvious weaknesses, it doesn't actually. Just hear me out!
Team Barfoo (UU)
Support
This pair gives my team some much-needed extra bulk and support.
Gligar @ Eviolite
Trait: Sand Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Taunt/Toxic
- Earthquake
Gligar functions as the dedicated lead. His lead role is quite standard: set up Stealth Rock and get out.
But Gligar also has a useful mid-game function as a huge physical wall (from Smogon's strat article: Gligar can take hits from powerhouses including Crobat, Flygon, Heracross, Escavalier, Durant, Snorlax, and Bisharp), as well as a great switch-in against Raikou (as long as I don't suspect HP Ice). Roost provides the recovery, and EQ provides some damaging capability.
With less than 270 Speed, he won't be out-speeding many top threats in UU, so I am somewhat torn between Toxic and Taunt. Given that Gligar is of middling speed, he can only Taunt slow, bulky sweepers like Snorlax, and shut down some other slow hazard-layers like Bronzong and Registeel. I sometimes think I prefer Toxic, which provides good anti-stall. Still not sure on this one.
Topper (Hitmontop) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Fake Out
- Mach Punch
- Sucker Punch/Aerial Ace/Stone Edge
Ah, my hybrid UtiliTechniTop. (Yep, I coined that moveset name five seconds ago. Not that it's really unique...) Topper is my go-to guy for spin support, but also as a great physical revenge killer. The one-two Fake Out plus priority punch combo is fabulous for taking out many top UU threats like Arcanine, Empoleon, even Raikou with rocks damage.
This hybrid set has some dangers. There is no good STAB like Close Combat, but I figure I'm not using Topper for power anyway, so I prefer Rapid Spin. I've got yet another hard choice picking the last move.
The biggest threat against this set is Crobat, which I won't be out-speeding anyway. Anticipating switch-ins well could make Stone Edge a viable last move, but I deem it better left up to the experts in the offensive cores.
The Electric Duo
Don't be fooled by the shared Electric type. Thanks to the magic of the Flying type, Zapdos is immune to Ground anyway. As Electric attacks only have issues against Dragon, Grass, Electric, and Ground, these two have got those weaknesses covered. Heat Wave for Grass, HP Ice for the others except Electric, for which we want Flygon or Gligar.
These two form a great Volt Switch pair. Add U-Turn Flygon and Kingdra into the mix, and we have a classic but dangerous offense.
Raikou @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Rash Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Aura Sphere
- Volt Switch
Raikou is the speed demon on the team. His already great Speed is boosted by 252 EVs and a Choice Scarf. This leaves it a bit less offensive than one might like, but with the likes of STAB Volt Switch and T-Bolt, Aura Sphere to hit Dark, Rock and Steel where it hurts, Raikou is the go-to Special revenge killer and sweeper. The addition of HP Ice makes for some relatively complete coverage to go with Zapdos' Grass and Fire.
Zapper (Zapdos) @ Expert Belt
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Heat Wave
- Volt Switch
Pretty standard SpA Expert Belt set. Zapdos hits nearly every threat for Super Effective damage, so Expert Belt is a really useful tool, one that I prefer over Life Orb and a Choice item for Zapdos. HP Grass is the surprise waiting for opposing Swampert and Quagsire. Zapdos has only Rock and Ice to fear, and hopefully HP Grass and Heat Wave will take care of pre-weakened threats.
Dragon Storm
Whereas the first offensive core is based around Thunderbolt and Volt-Switch, here we find more variety. Gonfly's physical sweeping threat coupled with Kingy's beastly Special attacks makes for a winning combination.
Gonfly (Flygon) @ Choice Band
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- U-turn
- Fire Punch
Gonfly the Physical sweeper is definitely best saved for last. Often, I get folks who rage quit on me when they are down to 2-3 pokes and Outrage begins. Choice Band ensures that those who do not surrender are simply plowed through. A lot of the strategy that goes into playing this team is taking out anything that resists Dragon and has a chance of both out-speeding Gonfly and carrying Ice, which is generally no more than half a given team. (My own Scarfed Raikou with HP Ice comes to mind.) I like that Gonfly doesn't require much setup beyond rocks; however, its pitifully weak to Ice and any scarfed Dragon. If I have a Gligar and Zapdos-shaped hole on my team, I may have to rely on Gonfly to take out some Grass or Electric threats, which is riskier, but doable.
Kingy (Kingdra) @ Choice Specs
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Draco Meteor
- Dragon Pulse
- Hidden Power [Electric]
Good old Kingy. I like HP Electric for its ability to hit Empoleon and Suicune. Anyone unfortunate enough to run a Rain team is in for a bit of a floor-wiping when it comes to Speced Dragon Pulse. Even without Rain, Kingy's lack of weaknesses except against Dragon make it a very huge asset to this team. The offensive synergy with Flygon is also amazing. Between them, they carry Dragon, Water, Fire, Bug, Ground, and Electric attacks. Not bad.
Top Threats
The top threats to this team, in my perception, are lopsided mirror matches. In particular, fast Dragons and Zapdos are problematic to my team. My inclination thus far has been not to use a Scarfed Flygon, but I'm beginning to wonder if that is a better option to counter the fast metagame.
I will write more threats and strategy later when I have a chance to play some more. But for now, let me know what you think!
