Battling With An Offensive Mindset
Hello Smogon-Elitists,
BlazePWBT here for a UU RMT. This is a team that I plan to use on Shoddy now and once it is deemed good enough, will be used in many a tournament on wifi. I am an experienced battler who is fairly new to Offensively Based Teams, especially in UU.
This is a offensive team, which I chose to think about once the tiers had been changed. Seeing the two Pokémon that came into this tier- Cresselia and Porygon-Z, I knew they would undoubtedly be popular, so I wanted to devise a team that would minimalize the damage they can do to this team. Also, other nemeses’ of my UU experience was Registeel and Moltres and I didn’t really want them to plough through my team either.
So, I devised this team to counter the aforementioned Pokémon among others. I firstly tried to make a core of the team, and then somewhat build around it, so here is the team building process I went through in a nutshell.
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Firstly, I was looking at the UU metagames Pokémon and I first started my team with a strong special sweeper. I chose my favourite Pokémon in UU, Mismagius, due to its speed and good SpAtt and Sp.Def. I then wanted a Pokémon that could accompany Mismagius and give it a check against its counters and I chose Arcanine.
I then wanted a solid Cresselia counter and I decided to use a Pokémon I had strangely never used in UU before – Drapion. However, I found that I preferred Absol as I was more familiar with it. I then found that Registeel could still do something to this team once Arcanine was dead, so I drafted in a strong Fighting type that could take it on as well as other rock types. Also, I wanted a Pokémon that could absorb status so I chose Guts Hariyama.
I then found that Arcanine was quite redundant as I had three physical sweepers. I therefore wanted to change it to a more solid Cresselia and Registeel Counter. In the end, I chose Houndoom which had the speed and SpAtt to wreak havoc. Also, I found that using Close Combat on Hariyama, its best viable strong fighting attack was annoying as it lowered its defence and its bulk was neglected. I then chose to replace it with Hitmonlee as it wouldn’t mind losing its defences as it’s not meant to take hits.
I then wanted a Pokémon that could definitely take status and with Houndoom immune to burn, Hitmonlee immune to paralysis, another status absorber would be useful. I chose Clefable as I had much success with it in the past, an Encore, Aromatherapy among other supporting attacks was very useful for the team.
I then found out that my team was lacking a true revenge killer as Absol’s sucker punch could be easily predicted. I then chose to have Dugtrio due to its fantastic ability and amazing speed, losing only to one Pokémon in the tier. Immeadiately it was put in with much success.
I then needed a lead that could be fairly supportive and play for the team. In the end, I had chosen Dual Screen Uxie as it would nearly always be able to set them up and also didn’t really mind status as once it did its job, it could act as status fodder.
And thus, I ended up with the team I have now. I will now show you the team in depth, but firstly I would like to say that I wouldn’t really want my whole team being revamped, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to rate away. Just don’t be too harsh lol.
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Team In-Depth
Uxie
Item: Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Impish
Ev’s: 252HP/180Def/ 76Sp.Def
Moves:
U-Turn
Stealth Rock
Reflect
Light Screen
Description: Uxie’s role for this team is to clearly get up the dual screens bright and early if possible. From the Pokémon I have faced against, it is quite easy to predict their moves and thus make the correct move myself. You might think that this Uxie is there to create 8 turns of screens at the beginning of the match. However, it is bulky enough to take hits, set up a screen or two, and even return later in game to help sweep even more. What’s more, without any ev’s it runs at around 240 speed, so it’s fast enough to beat the slower leads, and bulky enough to take hits from the faster ones too.
Why these moves? The two screens are obviously there so support this mainly offensively orientated team. Stealth Rock just has to be present on something for that added entry hazard damage, hitting some major threats of the UU Metagame hard such as Scyther, Moltres, Arcanine, etc. U-Turn is there, not only to scout out early should I predict a taunt, but also there so I do not have to let Uxie die and allow her to come in later to re-set-up.
Why these Ev’s? Well, these Ev’s grant Uxie a large bit of bulk, able to survive some powerful attacks. It also allows Uxie to take attacks from both sides of the spectrum better both with or without the screens up.
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Clefable
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Nature: Calm
EV’s: 252HP/152Def/100Def/ 4 Speed
Moves:
Encore
Softboiled
Seismic Toss
Aromatherapy
Description: Being an offensively based team, status is not nice at all. Neither is entry hazards. Clefable is a unique Pokémon as it is able to absorb status and not be affected by entry hazard too. It is the only stallish Pokémon on the team. I chose to use Clefable as I have had success with it before, and it hits quite well synergistically with my other Pokémon. What’s more, its bulk can potentially be improved further as with dual screens, hitting it for a lot of damage isn’t easy on both sides of the spectrum.
Why these moves? The biggest selling point for this set is Encore. Encore has been dead useful in tight situations, locking a Pokémon into a move it may not want to re-use. It is always great fun to Encore a T-wave or a stat-up move and switch to Dugtrio, thus trapping the opponent making them helpless. Softboiled is there for immeadiate healing, however, I’m not sure as Wish seems like a good option to use too for team support for weakened sweepers. Seismic toss is there to get a solid 100HP damage off on the opponent without the need for any Ev’s. Now here is where I’m stuck. AT the moment, I am running Aromatherapy mainly for the need that sweepers do not want status lingering on them for too long – most notably, Paralysis, Toxic and Burn. However, with Encore, a variety of switches occur and I feel that Thunder Wave is a good idea for this set making it Blissey-like. I could easily paralyse a counter to other pokemon, and thus have a slightly easier sweep towards the end of the game – I’ll let you decide which option to take.
Why these Ev’s? Well, obviously 252HP is required to give Clefable 394 HP, making it very hard to take down with screens down. With a Calm Nature, not too many Ev’s are required in Sp.Def and more can be dumped into Defence to somewhat even out the defences. The last Ev’s can be dumped into speed to outspeed any neutral base 60’s if needed.
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Mismagius
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
Ev’s: 48HP/ 208SpAtt/ 252Speed
Moves:
Substitute
Calm Mind
Shadow Ball
Hidden Power (Fighting)
Description: Mismagius is one of my favourite pokemon in the UU metagame. It isn’t too slow, and has a fairly decent movepool with the Sp.Att and Sp.Def stats upon that. It’s one of my two special sweepers, and functions well. As I have mentioned before, Cresselia and Registeel were among the pokemon I really wanted to counter well. This is one of them to an extent.
Why these moves? Substitute greatly eases prediction when required and counters the two previously mentioned pokemon by preventing them from using status moves. Calm Mind is chosen over Nasty Plot as it is useful for Mismagius to take in weak special attacks from the likes of Cresselia, Milotic and others. Shadow Ball is there for a 120 BP STAB attack which packs a huge punch with CM boosts. HP Fighting is there to give the optimum coverage and hits Registeel and other pokemon that resist my STAB, most notably Absol, whom, with good prediction, can be overcome.
Why these Ev’s? Calm Mind Mismagius is a fantastic sweeper and takes tons of weak special attacks. With the boosts Calm Mind gives, not all 252 Ev’s are required need to go into Special Attack, so some can go into HP for slightly stronger substitutes and more bulk. Max Speed is an obvious necessity.
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Hitmonlee
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Limber
Nature: Jolly
EV’s: 4HP/252Att/252Speed
Moves:
Close Combat
Earthquake
Mach Punch
Sucker Punch
Description: Hitmonlee is one of my two physical sweepers, who packs a good punch. I needed a pokemon that could counter all the steels and other types that Mismagius can’t hit with Shadow Ball. It runs at exactly 300 speed, which isn’t too bad, narrowly losing to P-Z unfortunately. I’m not sure if I should run Adamant for that extra power, or is the difference between 300 and the 270’s a problem. Ideas?
Why these moves? Naturally, a strong STAB is a good idea for any pokemon and Hitmonlee has that with Close Combat. It hits everything hard that doesn’t resist it with 180 BP factoring in STAB. Earthquake is useful to hit the likes of Venusaur, Toxicroak and Arcanine. The next two attacks are the ones I’m in deliberation over. Mach Punch is STAB’d but still has a solitary base 60 Power. However it does help a lot in certain situations against faster pokemon. Sucker Punch is mainly there for the ability to hit ghosts and fast ones at that. I’m not too sure about this as Stone Edge seems a viable option for flyers like Moltres, Altaria and the like. But where should it go, if anywhere.
Why these Ev’s? Well these are obvious. Jolly is needed to hit as much speed as possible, however, I’m not sure if I should go Adamant. Max Attack and rest dumped into HP as usual.
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Houndoom
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Timid
EV’s: 4HP/252SpAtt/252Speed
Moves:
Substitute
Nasty Plot
Fire Blast
Dark Pulse
Description: This is a truly fantastic Cresselia and Registeel counter. Nothing can hurt it much under screens and behind a Substitute, “free” Nasty Plot’s are available to OHKO Registeel and Cresselia. This is my other second sweeper and has good synergy with my other pokemon. Flash Fire is useful to take Will-O-Wisps among other fire attacks.
Why these moves? Substitute is clearly there to avoid status and gives me a barrier against which I can set-up my Nasty Plots. Fire Blast and Dark Pulse make two great STAB moves that hit hard with a Nasty Plot and/or a Flash Fire under my belt, even to a poke that resists it. Naturally, Fire Blast is a superior option to flamethrower, but is the loss in power making up for the accuracy. I think not in my opinion. You may think different, but Fire Blast has only missed twice for me in the countless games I have played and has actually proved to be quite reliable.
Why these Ev’s? Naturally Max Speed is always a bonus to get an attack in first and Houndoom’s Special Attack will be high enough with Nasty Plot. The rest was drafted into HP.
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Dugtrio
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
Nature: Jolly
Ev’s: 4HP/ 252Att/252Speed
Moves:
Substitute
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Sucker Punch
Description: Dugtrio makes a great revenge killer in all tiers, but just as much in the UU metagame. Even with a neutral attack nature, Dugtrio’s STAB Quakes do tons of damage. Revenge killing any threats is a great plus point and the fact that it is coupled with Arena Trap makes Dugtrio a true assassin late game when pokemon are weakened. With such high speed, very few pokemon can outrun it/ tie with it. If memory serves, it is just Swellow that outspeeds it with Alakazam and Sceptile typing with it, should they all run Max Speed with a Beneficial Nature.
Why these moves? Substitute is rarely used on Dugtrio’s, but I wonder why. It protects it from status’ that aren’t called Thunder Wave. It also eases prediction on a switch from Levitators/ Flyers and gives me a barrier, should I not be able to OHKO a pokemon. Also, Substitute plays mind games with Sucker Punch users, who don’t usually expect a Dugtrio to have it. Earthquake is there for genuine STAB, hitting many pokemon for either neutral or super effective damage. Stone Edge is for Flyers who are able to escape my wrath. However, should they switch, Stealth Rocks, which are nearly always in play, will cut 25 or 50% of their health on the way in. Sucker Punch is great for priority and gives me a check against Alakazam should it come to a speed tie. It also helps against weakened pokemon who carry priority moves, aiming to kill me such as DD Aqua Jet Feraligatr.
Why these Ev’s? Again, obvious. Max Speed to only be outrun by one pokemon – Swellow and tie with 2 others. Max Attack to put some power into Dugtrio’s attacks and the rest put into HP.
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Conclusion
So there's the team and I hope you guys have a lot to say and I actually get more than a handful of rates. There aren't many things I have inclined that need changing, but anything will do, be it criticism or appraisal, but I hope that you guys will read this and offer me some good rates.
Thanks.
==BlazePWBT==
Hello Smogon-Elitists,
BlazePWBT here for a UU RMT. This is a team that I plan to use on Shoddy now and once it is deemed good enough, will be used in many a tournament on wifi. I am an experienced battler who is fairly new to Offensively Based Teams, especially in UU.
This is a offensive team, which I chose to think about once the tiers had been changed. Seeing the two Pokémon that came into this tier- Cresselia and Porygon-Z, I knew they would undoubtedly be popular, so I wanted to devise a team that would minimalize the damage they can do to this team. Also, other nemeses’ of my UU experience was Registeel and Moltres and I didn’t really want them to plough through my team either.
So, I devised this team to counter the aforementioned Pokémon among others. I firstly tried to make a core of the team, and then somewhat build around it, so here is the team building process I went through in a nutshell.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Firstly, I was looking at the UU metagames Pokémon and I first started my team with a strong special sweeper. I chose my favourite Pokémon in UU, Mismagius, due to its speed and good SpAtt and Sp.Def. I then wanted a Pokémon that could accompany Mismagius and give it a check against its counters and I chose Arcanine.
I then wanted a solid Cresselia counter and I decided to use a Pokémon I had strangely never used in UU before – Drapion. However, I found that I preferred Absol as I was more familiar with it. I then found that Registeel could still do something to this team once Arcanine was dead, so I drafted in a strong Fighting type that could take it on as well as other rock types. Also, I wanted a Pokémon that could absorb status so I chose Guts Hariyama.
I then found that Arcanine was quite redundant as I had three physical sweepers. I therefore wanted to change it to a more solid Cresselia and Registeel Counter. In the end, I chose Houndoom which had the speed and SpAtt to wreak havoc. Also, I found that using Close Combat on Hariyama, its best viable strong fighting attack was annoying as it lowered its defence and its bulk was neglected. I then chose to replace it with Hitmonlee as it wouldn’t mind losing its defences as it’s not meant to take hits.
I then wanted a Pokémon that could definitely take status and with Houndoom immune to burn, Hitmonlee immune to paralysis, another status absorber would be useful. I chose Clefable as I had much success with it in the past, an Encore, Aromatherapy among other supporting attacks was very useful for the team.
I then found out that my team was lacking a true revenge killer as Absol’s sucker punch could be easily predicted. I then chose to have Dugtrio due to its fantastic ability and amazing speed, losing only to one Pokémon in the tier. Immeadiately it was put in with much success.
I then needed a lead that could be fairly supportive and play for the team. In the end, I had chosen Dual Screen Uxie as it would nearly always be able to set them up and also didn’t really mind status as once it did its job, it could act as status fodder.
And thus, I ended up with the team I have now. I will now show you the team in depth, but firstly I would like to say that I wouldn’t really want my whole team being revamped, but if you have any suggestions, feel free to rate away. Just don’t be too harsh lol.
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Team In-Depth
Uxie
Item: Light Clay
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Impish
Ev’s: 252HP/180Def/ 76Sp.Def
Moves:
U-Turn
Stealth Rock
Reflect
Light Screen
Description: Uxie’s role for this team is to clearly get up the dual screens bright and early if possible. From the Pokémon I have faced against, it is quite easy to predict their moves and thus make the correct move myself. You might think that this Uxie is there to create 8 turns of screens at the beginning of the match. However, it is bulky enough to take hits, set up a screen or two, and even return later in game to help sweep even more. What’s more, without any ev’s it runs at around 240 speed, so it’s fast enough to beat the slower leads, and bulky enough to take hits from the faster ones too.
Why these moves? The two screens are obviously there so support this mainly offensively orientated team. Stealth Rock just has to be present on something for that added entry hazard damage, hitting some major threats of the UU Metagame hard such as Scyther, Moltres, Arcanine, etc. U-Turn is there, not only to scout out early should I predict a taunt, but also there so I do not have to let Uxie die and allow her to come in later to re-set-up.
Why these Ev’s? Well, these Ev’s grant Uxie a large bit of bulk, able to survive some powerful attacks. It also allows Uxie to take attacks from both sides of the spectrum better both with or without the screens up.
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Clefable
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Magic Guard
Nature: Calm
EV’s: 252HP/152Def/100Def/ 4 Speed
Moves:
Encore
Softboiled
Seismic Toss
Aromatherapy
Description: Being an offensively based team, status is not nice at all. Neither is entry hazards. Clefable is a unique Pokémon as it is able to absorb status and not be affected by entry hazard too. It is the only stallish Pokémon on the team. I chose to use Clefable as I have had success with it before, and it hits quite well synergistically with my other Pokémon. What’s more, its bulk can potentially be improved further as with dual screens, hitting it for a lot of damage isn’t easy on both sides of the spectrum.
Why these moves? The biggest selling point for this set is Encore. Encore has been dead useful in tight situations, locking a Pokémon into a move it may not want to re-use. It is always great fun to Encore a T-wave or a stat-up move and switch to Dugtrio, thus trapping the opponent making them helpless. Softboiled is there for immeadiate healing, however, I’m not sure as Wish seems like a good option to use too for team support for weakened sweepers. Seismic toss is there to get a solid 100HP damage off on the opponent without the need for any Ev’s. Now here is where I’m stuck. AT the moment, I am running Aromatherapy mainly for the need that sweepers do not want status lingering on them for too long – most notably, Paralysis, Toxic and Burn. However, with Encore, a variety of switches occur and I feel that Thunder Wave is a good idea for this set making it Blissey-like. I could easily paralyse a counter to other pokemon, and thus have a slightly easier sweep towards the end of the game – I’ll let you decide which option to take.
Why these Ev’s? Well, obviously 252HP is required to give Clefable 394 HP, making it very hard to take down with screens down. With a Calm Nature, not too many Ev’s are required in Sp.Def and more can be dumped into Defence to somewhat even out the defences. The last Ev’s can be dumped into speed to outspeed any neutral base 60’s if needed.
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Mismagius
Item: Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
Ev’s: 48HP/ 208SpAtt/ 252Speed
Moves:
Substitute
Calm Mind
Shadow Ball
Hidden Power (Fighting)
Description: Mismagius is one of my favourite pokemon in the UU metagame. It isn’t too slow, and has a fairly decent movepool with the Sp.Att and Sp.Def stats upon that. It’s one of my two special sweepers, and functions well. As I have mentioned before, Cresselia and Registeel were among the pokemon I really wanted to counter well. This is one of them to an extent.
Why these moves? Substitute greatly eases prediction when required and counters the two previously mentioned pokemon by preventing them from using status moves. Calm Mind is chosen over Nasty Plot as it is useful for Mismagius to take in weak special attacks from the likes of Cresselia, Milotic and others. Shadow Ball is there for a 120 BP STAB attack which packs a huge punch with CM boosts. HP Fighting is there to give the optimum coverage and hits Registeel and other pokemon that resist my STAB, most notably Absol, whom, with good prediction, can be overcome.
Why these Ev’s? Calm Mind Mismagius is a fantastic sweeper and takes tons of weak special attacks. With the boosts Calm Mind gives, not all 252 Ev’s are required need to go into Special Attack, so some can go into HP for slightly stronger substitutes and more bulk. Max Speed is an obvious necessity.
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Hitmonlee
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Limber
Nature: Jolly
EV’s: 4HP/252Att/252Speed
Moves:
Close Combat
Earthquake
Mach Punch
Sucker Punch
Description: Hitmonlee is one of my two physical sweepers, who packs a good punch. I needed a pokemon that could counter all the steels and other types that Mismagius can’t hit with Shadow Ball. It runs at exactly 300 speed, which isn’t too bad, narrowly losing to P-Z unfortunately. I’m not sure if I should run Adamant for that extra power, or is the difference between 300 and the 270’s a problem. Ideas?
Why these moves? Naturally, a strong STAB is a good idea for any pokemon and Hitmonlee has that with Close Combat. It hits everything hard that doesn’t resist it with 180 BP factoring in STAB. Earthquake is useful to hit the likes of Venusaur, Toxicroak and Arcanine. The next two attacks are the ones I’m in deliberation over. Mach Punch is STAB’d but still has a solitary base 60 Power. However it does help a lot in certain situations against faster pokemon. Sucker Punch is mainly there for the ability to hit ghosts and fast ones at that. I’m not too sure about this as Stone Edge seems a viable option for flyers like Moltres, Altaria and the like. But where should it go, if anywhere.
Why these Ev’s? Well these are obvious. Jolly is needed to hit as much speed as possible, however, I’m not sure if I should go Adamant. Max Attack and rest dumped into HP as usual.
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Houndoom
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Timid
EV’s: 4HP/252SpAtt/252Speed
Moves:
Substitute
Nasty Plot
Fire Blast
Dark Pulse
Description: This is a truly fantastic Cresselia and Registeel counter. Nothing can hurt it much under screens and behind a Substitute, “free” Nasty Plot’s are available to OHKO Registeel and Cresselia. This is my other second sweeper and has good synergy with my other pokemon. Flash Fire is useful to take Will-O-Wisps among other fire attacks.
Why these moves? Substitute is clearly there to avoid status and gives me a barrier against which I can set-up my Nasty Plots. Fire Blast and Dark Pulse make two great STAB moves that hit hard with a Nasty Plot and/or a Flash Fire under my belt, even to a poke that resists it. Naturally, Fire Blast is a superior option to flamethrower, but is the loss in power making up for the accuracy. I think not in my opinion. You may think different, but Fire Blast has only missed twice for me in the countless games I have played and has actually proved to be quite reliable.
Why these Ev’s? Naturally Max Speed is always a bonus to get an attack in first and Houndoom’s Special Attack will be high enough with Nasty Plot. The rest was drafted into HP.
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Dugtrio
Item: Life Orb
Ability: Arena Trap
Nature: Jolly
Ev’s: 4HP/ 252Att/252Speed
Moves:
Substitute
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Sucker Punch
Description: Dugtrio makes a great revenge killer in all tiers, but just as much in the UU metagame. Even with a neutral attack nature, Dugtrio’s STAB Quakes do tons of damage. Revenge killing any threats is a great plus point and the fact that it is coupled with Arena Trap makes Dugtrio a true assassin late game when pokemon are weakened. With such high speed, very few pokemon can outrun it/ tie with it. If memory serves, it is just Swellow that outspeeds it with Alakazam and Sceptile typing with it, should they all run Max Speed with a Beneficial Nature.
Why these moves? Substitute is rarely used on Dugtrio’s, but I wonder why. It protects it from status’ that aren’t called Thunder Wave. It also eases prediction on a switch from Levitators/ Flyers and gives me a barrier, should I not be able to OHKO a pokemon. Also, Substitute plays mind games with Sucker Punch users, who don’t usually expect a Dugtrio to have it. Earthquake is there for genuine STAB, hitting many pokemon for either neutral or super effective damage. Stone Edge is for Flyers who are able to escape my wrath. However, should they switch, Stealth Rocks, which are nearly always in play, will cut 25 or 50% of their health on the way in. Sucker Punch is great for priority and gives me a check against Alakazam should it come to a speed tie. It also helps against weakened pokemon who carry priority moves, aiming to kill me such as DD Aqua Jet Feraligatr.
Why these Ev’s? Again, obvious. Max Speed to only be outrun by one pokemon – Swellow and tie with 2 others. Max Attack to put some power into Dugtrio’s attacks and the rest put into HP.
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Conclusion
So there's the team and I hope you guys have a lot to say and I actually get more than a handful of rates. There aren't many things I have inclined that need changing, but anything will do, be it criticism or appraisal, but I hope that you guys will read this and offer me some good rates.
Thanks.
==BlazePWBT==
