Hello everyone! This is my first RMT (and post for that matter), and what better place is there to start than UU? So without further ado, here's the breakdown of my team:
Crobat @Black Sludge
232 HP/56 Def/76 SpD/144 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus
Jolly Nature
-Brave Bird
-Taunt
-Roost
-Super Fang
Crobat is my lead as well as my stallbreaker. Not only does he scare out common leads like Mienshao or Roserade, he can delay the opponent from setting up Stealth Rocks with Taunt. After that, I usually switch out into Empoleon to get my own rocks up. Roost is obligatory for healing off damage. As Crobat is the only member of my team with access to a healing move, I run Super Fang as opposed to U-turn so he can hurt walls himself while constantly preventing them from healing off damage or spreading status. I can't recall where I got these EV's, but I prefer having investment in extra bulk and speed as opposed to attack, especially since Brave Bird is my only attacking move and Super Fang already does consistent damage.
Empoleon @Leftovers
252 HP/252 SpD
Ability: Torrent
Calm Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Roar
-Scald
-Grass Knot
Empoleon sets up my only form of hazards: Stealth Rock. He brings some nifty resistances to the table, and reliably does his job of setting up Rocks. He also serves as the team's phazer with Roar. Scald is my main attacking move as it hits relatively hard and nabs me some lucky burns. I chose Grass Knot instead of Ice Beam since it allows me to stay in and damage opponent bulky waters. Along with Flygon, Empoleon is probably one of my best answers to Kingdra (-Specs and Rain Dance sets). However, weaknesses to common Fighting, Ground, and Electric moves really hinder his stay on the field. Unfortunately, he'll usually be the first to be foddered out once Rocks are up.
Weavile @Life Orb
252 Att/252 Spe
Ability: Pressure
Jolly Nature
-Ice Punch
-Ice Shard
-Low Kick
-Pursuit
Let me go out and say that Weavile is possibly my favorite attacker in UU at the moment. Not only does he have both the invaluable ability to trap and revenge kill, but he can really put some dents into things early to mid-game. I feel Life Orb gives him a lot more versatility than Choice Band; being locked into a resisted move will force me to switch him out more often, and Weavile already has scarce opportunities to switch in. He mainly serves to constantly put offensive pressure on my opponents. Ice Shard is for opposing priority users or scarfers, namely Flygon. Low Kick maims Snorlax and Houndoom, both of whom can give my Chandelure a hard time. Pursuit is the crux as it traps and swiftly take out things like Xatu and Mismagius, who could otherwise annoy the hell out of my team. While the lack of a stronger Dark STAB usually leaves me walled by Slowbro (if he choses to stay in and Scald, that is), Weavile is still invaluable to the team with his blistering speed and ability to take out enemy Ghosts and Psychics.
Chandelure @Choice Specs
252 SpA/252 Spe
Ability: Flash Fire
Modest Nature
-Fire Blast
-Shadow Ball
-Energy Ball
-HP Fighting
This slot was originally dedicated to Specs Rotom-H, but I later opted for Chandelure since he had better offensive synergy with Weavile. While this change makes dealing with Nidoking, Zapdos, Raikou, and opposing Chandelure a hell of a lot harder, the ability to 2HKO just about the entire metagame with the appropriate move is hard to give up. Fire Blast is a reliable, albeit inaccurate STAB move; while slightly weaker than Overheat, it lets him stay in and consistently hit hard. Shadow Ball is secondary STAB, Energy Ball hits bulky waters, and HP Fighting rounds out the coverage, 2HK0'ing Chandy's three biggest counters: Porygon 2, Houndoom, and Snorlax. As long as I predict correctly, nothing can really take an attack from this thing unscathed. However, he's a bit slow and a tad bit frail, thus can easily be revenge killed or taken out as he switches in.
Hitmontop @Leftovers
252 HP/252 Def
Ability: Intimidate
Impish Nature
-Rapid Spin
-Hi Jump Kick
-Stone Edge
-Toxic
Since half my team is weak to Stealth Rock as well as being vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, having a spinner on my team is a given. I chose Hitmontop over other spinners due to his ability to soften physical threats with Intimidate, as well as having access to powerful STAB Fighting moves. Rapid Spin allows my offensive core of WeaLure to stay alive as long as possible, and to a lesser extent, lets Crobat switch in and check defensive Pokemon with Taunt. While Hi Jump Kick can be a risky move, I really dislike having Hitmontop's great defenses lowered with Close Combat. Although the difference is usually negligible, it also hits slightly harder. Stone Edge nails common spinblockers like Chandelure, Froslass, and Mismagius on the switch, and hits Heracross neutrally (whom Hitmontop often switches into), something Sucker Punch fails to do. This also lessens the need to run Foresight, and lets me run Toxic instead to inflict status. I'm thinking about running some Attack EV's to hit a bit harder, but I'm not sure how much to put. Help would be appreciated here.
Flygon @Choice Scarf
252 Att/252 Spe
Ability: Levitate
Jolly Nature
-Earthquake
-U-turn
-Outrage
-Fire Punch
While I wanted to try out Banded Flygon for a change, a Scarfed variant still fits better in my team for outspeeding and picking off threats. Earthquake is a strong STAB move that provides the team with some much needed Ground coverage. U-turn is for gaining momentum and easing prediction while Outrage can clean up late game. Fire Punch is mainly for Heracross and Roserade, but is a nice coverage move in general. Even though the set is almost to the point of cliched by now, Flygon can still hold up the team with his utility. Taking minimal entry hazard damage is also a welcome perk that lets him freely switch in and out even before Hitmontop gets off a spin.
Major Threats:
Nidoking: Like mentioned earlier, having Chandelure replacing Rotom-H makes Nidoking a pain to deal with. He can hit nearly the whole team for SE damage. While Flygon or Weavile can revenge kill him, at least something on my team usually goes down with him.
Raikou: Fast Electric types in general are a nuisance to my team, and Raikou is no exception. Trying to deal with this thing is always a messy ordeal. Not only does he trollishly outspeed Flygon by 1 point while running Modest Scarf, but he poses a major threat with psuedo BoltBeam coverage. My best bet is for Weavile to switch in on a locked HP Ice and Pursuit or Ice Shard. Flygon can usually deal with CM variants, but only if Raikou doesn't have a sub up. Otherwise, it's GG.
Zapdos: Zapdos is on the same boat as Raikou, except it has access to Roost. Crobat can't come in and Taunt it to prevent it from healing off, as he'd be zapped with either a Thunderbolt or an HP Ice. While Hitmontop can usually lure him in, a Stone Edge only does slightly less than half. Weavile would be my safest bet. Once again, dealing with Electric types gets messy.
Chandelure: While Chandelure threatens almost any team, he can particularly make short work of anything on my team. If he gets a sub up, I'll have to sacrifice something to break it so Weavile can safely come in and Pursuit. It's also worth noting that since my Chandelure runs imperfect Speed IV's for HP Fighting, he is outsped by other variants. If he's choiced, Empoleon can switch into a Shadow Ball and threaten it with Scald, or my own Chandelure can come in on a predicted Fire Blast or HP Fighting aimed towards Empoleon and scare it out with Shadow Ball. As with Nidoking, Raikou, and Zapdos, kicking out Rotom-H kind of opened up this whole can of worms. But hey, no team's perfect, right?
That's all for now! I could really use some help to polish the team. Make sure to leave some suggestions and feedback!
Crobat @Black Sludge
232 HP/56 Def/76 SpD/144 Spe
Ability: Inner Focus
Jolly Nature
-Brave Bird
-Taunt
-Roost
-Super Fang
Crobat is my lead as well as my stallbreaker. Not only does he scare out common leads like Mienshao or Roserade, he can delay the opponent from setting up Stealth Rocks with Taunt. After that, I usually switch out into Empoleon to get my own rocks up. Roost is obligatory for healing off damage. As Crobat is the only member of my team with access to a healing move, I run Super Fang as opposed to U-turn so he can hurt walls himself while constantly preventing them from healing off damage or spreading status. I can't recall where I got these EV's, but I prefer having investment in extra bulk and speed as opposed to attack, especially since Brave Bird is my only attacking move and Super Fang already does consistent damage.
Empoleon @Leftovers
252 HP/252 SpD
Ability: Torrent
Calm Nature
-Stealth Rock
-Roar
-Scald
-Grass Knot
Empoleon sets up my only form of hazards: Stealth Rock. He brings some nifty resistances to the table, and reliably does his job of setting up Rocks. He also serves as the team's phazer with Roar. Scald is my main attacking move as it hits relatively hard and nabs me some lucky burns. I chose Grass Knot instead of Ice Beam since it allows me to stay in and damage opponent bulky waters. Along with Flygon, Empoleon is probably one of my best answers to Kingdra (-Specs and Rain Dance sets). However, weaknesses to common Fighting, Ground, and Electric moves really hinder his stay on the field. Unfortunately, he'll usually be the first to be foddered out once Rocks are up.
Weavile @Life Orb
252 Att/252 Spe
Ability: Pressure
Jolly Nature
-Ice Punch
-Ice Shard
-Low Kick
-Pursuit
Let me go out and say that Weavile is possibly my favorite attacker in UU at the moment. Not only does he have both the invaluable ability to trap and revenge kill, but he can really put some dents into things early to mid-game. I feel Life Orb gives him a lot more versatility than Choice Band; being locked into a resisted move will force me to switch him out more often, and Weavile already has scarce opportunities to switch in. He mainly serves to constantly put offensive pressure on my opponents. Ice Shard is for opposing priority users or scarfers, namely Flygon. Low Kick maims Snorlax and Houndoom, both of whom can give my Chandelure a hard time. Pursuit is the crux as it traps and swiftly take out things like Xatu and Mismagius, who could otherwise annoy the hell out of my team. While the lack of a stronger Dark STAB usually leaves me walled by Slowbro (if he choses to stay in and Scald, that is), Weavile is still invaluable to the team with his blistering speed and ability to take out enemy Ghosts and Psychics.
Chandelure @Choice Specs
252 SpA/252 Spe
Ability: Flash Fire
Modest Nature
-Fire Blast
-Shadow Ball
-Energy Ball
-HP Fighting
This slot was originally dedicated to Specs Rotom-H, but I later opted for Chandelure since he had better offensive synergy with Weavile. While this change makes dealing with Nidoking, Zapdos, Raikou, and opposing Chandelure a hell of a lot harder, the ability to 2HKO just about the entire metagame with the appropriate move is hard to give up. Fire Blast is a reliable, albeit inaccurate STAB move; while slightly weaker than Overheat, it lets him stay in and consistently hit hard. Shadow Ball is secondary STAB, Energy Ball hits bulky waters, and HP Fighting rounds out the coverage, 2HK0'ing Chandy's three biggest counters: Porygon 2, Houndoom, and Snorlax. As long as I predict correctly, nothing can really take an attack from this thing unscathed. However, he's a bit slow and a tad bit frail, thus can easily be revenge killed or taken out as he switches in.
Hitmontop @Leftovers
252 HP/252 Def
Ability: Intimidate
Impish Nature
-Rapid Spin
-Hi Jump Kick
-Stone Edge
-Toxic
Since half my team is weak to Stealth Rock as well as being vulnerable to Spikes and Toxic Spikes, having a spinner on my team is a given. I chose Hitmontop over other spinners due to his ability to soften physical threats with Intimidate, as well as having access to powerful STAB Fighting moves. Rapid Spin allows my offensive core of WeaLure to stay alive as long as possible, and to a lesser extent, lets Crobat switch in and check defensive Pokemon with Taunt. While Hi Jump Kick can be a risky move, I really dislike having Hitmontop's great defenses lowered with Close Combat. Although the difference is usually negligible, it also hits slightly harder. Stone Edge nails common spinblockers like Chandelure, Froslass, and Mismagius on the switch, and hits Heracross neutrally (whom Hitmontop often switches into), something Sucker Punch fails to do. This also lessens the need to run Foresight, and lets me run Toxic instead to inflict status. I'm thinking about running some Attack EV's to hit a bit harder, but I'm not sure how much to put. Help would be appreciated here.
Flygon @Choice Scarf
252 Att/252 Spe
Ability: Levitate
Jolly Nature
-Earthquake
-U-turn
-Outrage
-Fire Punch
While I wanted to try out Banded Flygon for a change, a Scarfed variant still fits better in my team for outspeeding and picking off threats. Earthquake is a strong STAB move that provides the team with some much needed Ground coverage. U-turn is for gaining momentum and easing prediction while Outrage can clean up late game. Fire Punch is mainly for Heracross and Roserade, but is a nice coverage move in general. Even though the set is almost to the point of cliched by now, Flygon can still hold up the team with his utility. Taking minimal entry hazard damage is also a welcome perk that lets him freely switch in and out even before Hitmontop gets off a spin.
Major Threats:
Nidoking: Like mentioned earlier, having Chandelure replacing Rotom-H makes Nidoking a pain to deal with. He can hit nearly the whole team for SE damage. While Flygon or Weavile can revenge kill him, at least something on my team usually goes down with him.
Raikou: Fast Electric types in general are a nuisance to my team, and Raikou is no exception. Trying to deal with this thing is always a messy ordeal. Not only does he trollishly outspeed Flygon by 1 point while running Modest Scarf, but he poses a major threat with psuedo BoltBeam coverage. My best bet is for Weavile to switch in on a locked HP Ice and Pursuit or Ice Shard. Flygon can usually deal with CM variants, but only if Raikou doesn't have a sub up. Otherwise, it's GG.
Zapdos: Zapdos is on the same boat as Raikou, except it has access to Roost. Crobat can't come in and Taunt it to prevent it from healing off, as he'd be zapped with either a Thunderbolt or an HP Ice. While Hitmontop can usually lure him in, a Stone Edge only does slightly less than half. Weavile would be my safest bet. Once again, dealing with Electric types gets messy.
Chandelure: While Chandelure threatens almost any team, he can particularly make short work of anything on my team. If he gets a sub up, I'll have to sacrifice something to break it so Weavile can safely come in and Pursuit. It's also worth noting that since my Chandelure runs imperfect Speed IV's for HP Fighting, he is outsped by other variants. If he's choiced, Empoleon can switch into a Shadow Ball and threaten it with Scald, or my own Chandelure can come in on a predicted Fire Blast or HP Fighting aimed towards Empoleon and scare it out with Shadow Ball. As with Nidoking, Raikou, and Zapdos, kicking out Rotom-H kind of opened up this whole can of worms. But hey, no team's perfect, right?
That's all for now! I could really use some help to polish the team. Make sure to leave some suggestions and feedback!
