SM UU Bulky Offense with some Fight spam

Hiya everyone ! I've build this team for a tourney but i think it can work pretty well for ladder too as i've built it to check the entire meta / team archetype and not to counter one sort of playstyle. I've been testing it around 1500 elo and worked pretty well. So here it is :

TeamBuilding process
First Pokemon that i've picked was Heracross. I wanted my team not to be weak to stall but also a Pokemon that could wallbreak with ease to let my other mon clean. Heracross turns out to be the perfect mon for this as it almost got no safe switch-in in the tier.
Heracross.png
PinkyToe (Heracross) (F) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

Speed invest allows to tie Nidoking which is always good considering how threatening it is to all teams but also to outspeed Mamoswine which is mandatory. Guts with the Flame Orb gives you a permanent boost in Atk while being a good status fodder (allowing you to switch into Amoonguss's Spore for exemple). Close Combat is your main STAB and the one you'll likely most spam. Facade allows you to threaten Altaria-Mega which, otherwise, can setup on you pretty easily but also hit Mon that would resist CloseCombat. Knock Off is handy to hit Ghost types such as Chandelure or Gengar which would wall you without it but also to weaken defensiv mon like Swampert or Hippowdon that are common swich-in. Finally Swords Dance is your main move to setup and wallbreak easily, making it a strong stallbreaker as it can beat Alomomola / Quagsire and such without being worried about Scald burn.
With that, i needed to add some more Fight pokemon to make it a real Fight spam hence why i've choosed Infernape :

Heracross.pngInfernape.png
Spice Girl (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Gunk Shot

Classic choice scarf set, Infernape is one of the fastest Scarf user in the tier just behind Latias, making it one of the best revenge killer. Flare Blitz and Close Combat are your main STABs, being resisted by not so many Pokemon. U-turn gives you momentum and helps bringing in your wallbreakers and pressure the team. Finally Gunk Shot is mostly here to revenge kill Altaria-Mega which is one huge threat to the team. Heracross pairs well with Infernape as it'll break though walls that Infernape cant beat like Swampert, Hippowdon, Alomomola, Quagsire and so on.
With all those i wanted to complete my offensive core with a Pokemon that isnt quite seen but is pretty strong which is Volcanion Z Fight.

Heracross.pngInfernape.pngVolcanion.png
NoBurnEruption (Volcanion) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Superpower
- Substitute
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower

This set is mostly made to nuke Blissey out of the galaxy and then threaten stalls. Superpower boosted by the Z move is almost an OHKO on Blissey (does about 80-90%) but can also be used to kill Empoleon or Hydreigon which are common checks to Volcanion. Substitute was just a test but Toxic or Sludge Wave can be also used, first one to weaken bulky water like Primarina or Alomomola and second one to hit Altaria-Mega or Sylveon. Volcanion puts an amazing pressure on most bulky teams and pairs well with Heracross to wallbreak and let Infernape clean.
After building with those 3 mon i needed something to check Psy types mostly but also Ghost hence why i've choosed Muk

Heracross.pngInfernape.pngVolcanion.pngMuk_(Alola_Form).png
DabOnThem (Muk-Alola) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Atk / 104 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak

Classic spread mostly made to duel Latias CM. 132 EV in Atk is enough to 2HKO with Koff then Shadowsneak while having enough bulk to tank a Z Draco at +1. Speed investment allows you to outspeed Swampert and so threaten it with a Knock-off that can also poison and let Infernape clean. It also traps Ghost types that are pretty annoying to Fight spam teams, specially Gengar and Chandelure that can be pretty hard to handle for offensiv teams. Muk helps a lot the other Pokemon trapping most of their checks (Latias, Starmie, Chandelure, Gengar, Jellicent and so on).

My team being pretty weak to Hydreigon (mostly having no SI to a specs Hydrei) i needed one + to have some decent hazard control, that's why i've picked Empoleon

Heracross.pngInfernape.pngVolcanion.pngMuk_(Alola_Form).pngEmpoleon.png
NootLikeThis (Empoleon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Protect
- Scald
- Roar

Again a pretty classic set with some changes in the moves. Def invest allows you to tank a Close Combat from Cobalion but also things like Earthquake from Aerodactyl-Mega while still having enough Spdef invest to tank Nidoking and Hydreigon. Defog helps removing hazards which are annoying for the team. Protect helps scouting most choice locked like Infernape / Hydreigon / Terrakion and so gaining some momentum but also recovering Hp thanks to leftovers. Scald is your main STAB, burning mon that could try to setup on you like Scizor / Altaria / Haxorus / Cobalion. Finally Roar helps phazing mons that can be too threatening if they setup like double dance Cobalion / Haxorus Dragon dance / Scizor Quick Attack but also get some cheap damage on Pokemon that would switch into it, taking rock damages.
As last mon i needed something that could switch into some fight moves but also blocks Manectric from just spamming Volt-Switch freely. Gliscor being gone (dude i miss you sm) i've choosed Gligar. Other reason why i've picked it is because my oppo used to spam Sand teams which Gligar could handle.

Heracross.pngInfernape.pngVolcanion.pngMuk_(Alola_Form).pngEmpoleon.pngGligar.png
I MISS YA GLISCOR (Gligar) @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Toxic

Ev spread is made to be a strong mixed wall that can both tank HpIce from Manectric and Stone edge from Terrakion for exemple. You can survive an HpIce after rocks damages and threaten back with an Earthquake that can put Manectric in range of being revenge killed or just making it unable to switch back into Rocks. Gligar can also wall pretty easily Krookodile (beware of Knockoff tho, your eviolite is mandatory for your bulk), Stakataka, Infernape, Scizor band and so on... Most offensiv mon that can't setup or can't hit Gligar effectivly will likely be walled by him. It's pairing very well with Empoleon, Gligar giving it the Fight / Ground / Electric resist it needs and Empoleon giving it the Ice / Water reisist it needs. Immunity is the best ability on this set making it unable to get poisoned and toxic. Stealth Rock is mandatory (well its rocks, basicly mandatory in all team). Roost is your main recovery move giving it the staying power it needs and helping it check more oftenly offensiv threats. Earthquake is your main STAB hitting pretty hard things like Muk / Manectric / Empoleon that can be annoying. Toxic helps beating Pokemon that could try to setup on you to sweep like Mega-Altaria (althought you should pay attention if its Facade or Frustration Altaria), Haxorus...

Usage tips
- Leading with Volcanion or Heracross depending on the opponent team is usually good, pressuring them a lot.
- Depending on the opponent team again, your main wallbreaker will change and so your gameplan. If you notice a Latias (scarf or not) you should try to force it out on the field thanks to Volcanion and then trap it with Muk. Note that your opponent will be aware that you are trying to trap his Latias so you should always take care of double switches. If the opponent team doesnt have Latias, Heracross will be very handy, weakening walls like Swampert and Hippowdon letting Infernape clean.
- Don't forget to use Protect on Empoleon as often as you can to recover as it doesnt have any Wish support to heal. Scouting what your opponent does, specially with his choice locked Pokemon, helps you gain a lot of momentum.
- When facing stall, beating Alomomola should be your priority as it can wall most of the team (Volcanion / Infernape / Muk / Gligar...) but you shouldn't just rush it with Heracross as it'll most likely run Rocky Helmet. Having no recovery or Wish support makes Heracross pretty weak to cheap damage Alomomola could get on it. Running Toxic on Volcanion can help beating stall since it'll make Alomomola struggle a lot to wall.

Threats
- Altaria-Mega : Offensive Physical Dragon dance Altaria can be a huge problem if it manages to setup. It won't be able to setup on a lot of Pokemon (Heracross can 2HKO, putting it in range of revenge kill from Infernape / Muk can OHKO with PoisonJab / Empoleon can Phaze it / Gligar can Toxic it and then Empoleon + Gligar with good switches + Protect can win). You can make use of Shuca berry on Empoleon to check it, giving the team a better MU to Aerodacty-Mega too.
- Aerodactly-Mega : Depending on its set it can be threatening like hell. If running Ice Fang (which isnt quite seen now but hey) Gligar will struggle, Empoleon too will struggle without a Shuca berry (note that it can tank one Earthquake, it does about 60-70%).

Team options
If you're willing to get a better matchup on those two, switch Muk for Scizor band can be an option. Althought, Latias CM will be way harder to handle as it can OHKO Zor with rocks on a Z Drake at +1 :

SexPistols (Scizor) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 164 HP / 252 Atk / 92 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Bullet Punch
- U-turn
- Superpower

Speed invest is enough to outspeed Klefki and so possibly not get paralyzed or avoiding it putting some spikes or walls. Rest in HP makes it more tanky to ease the switch into Latias. With this set you got about 60% chance or surviving a Z Drake after rocks but chances are that you can get OHKO and then Latias will be pretty hard to beat hence why i've picked Muk. (If you're wondering about it's name, it's a stand in Jojo, nothing else).

Importable
PinkyToe (Heracross) (F) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

DabOnThem (Muk-Alola) @ Assault Vest
Ability: Poison Touch
EVs: 252 HP / 132 Atk / 104 SpD / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Knock Off
- Poison Jab
- Pursuit
- Shadow Sneak

Spice Girl (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Gunk Shot

NoBurnEruption (Volcanion) @ Fightinium Z
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Superpower
- Substitute
- Steam Eruption
- Flamethrower

I MISS YA GLISCOR (Gligar) @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 96 Def / 160 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Earthquake
- Toxic

NootLikeThis (Empoleon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Defog
- Protect
- Scald
- Roar

Replay
Tourney's replay : http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen7uu-806696481
(That's all i got for now sorry, will put more when i'll have some spare time !)


Thanks for reading, if you got improvments feel free to post them ! This team should be pretty easy to use to anyone, even without any tier knowledge, hope you'll have fun with it !
 

vivalospride

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Hi, kinda cool team you have here. Definitely a little rough around the edges though, one thing I don't really understand is the Volcanion pick, your first two mons are fighting types and then you decided that a Blissey lure was necessary in the next slot. Muk itself is great for trapping Lati which definitely has an absurdly good m/u vs the rest of the team, but it makes the team in general kinda awkward with Empo on the team as well. Regardless I think there're much more optimal ways of going about this nape + hera fighting spam, let's see.

- Hippo > Gligar makes a lot of sense here because it gives a lot of breathing room to make other changes to the team. Hippo + Empo is also just a super solid defensive core in general, while Hippo is also much better at checking Mega Manectric since they still do tend to run HP Ice sometimes owo. This also improves your Maero matchup quite a bit as it can reliably check most Maero sets while healthy and w/ Toxic, Aqua Tail Maero is walled by Amoonguss that will be added later on for the most part :o.
Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Toxic


- Maero > Muk makes a lot of sense here to me because Hippo + Empo + Maero covers lati and ghosts pretty well. Sandstorm really helps maero trap ghosts and hippo + maero in general just synergizes so well. It also gives a much more reliable bird check then just having Empo be your main flying resist. Oh and this also gives you a ground immunity now that Gligar is gone. Set is pretty standard in general, went with Aqua Tail to loosen up the bulky grounds a little bit to give Hera a little more breathing room since EQ can still hurt it a lil.
Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Earthquake
- Pursuit


- Amoonguss > Volcanion is the final big change here, Amoonguss helps the Malt and bulky water/bulky ground matchup A LOT. Maero + Amoonguss is also just a nice core since Amoonguss can get a spore off on a lot of the things Maero struggles with, it just fit perfectly... it also serves as a good band Scizor answer due to regen.
Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 72 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Clear Smog


PinkyToe (Heracross) (F) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Defog
- Toxic
- Protect

Spice Girl (Infernape) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Blaze
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- U-turn
- Gunk Shot

Hippowdon @ Leftovers
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 252 HP / 80 Def / 176 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Slack Off
- Toxic

Aerodactyl-Mega @ Aerodactylite
Ability: Tough Claws
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stone Edge
- Aqua Tail
- Earthquake
- Pursuit

Amoonguss @ Black Sludge
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 176 Def / 72 SpD / 8 Spe
Calm Nature
- Spore
- Giga Drain
- Hidden Power [Fire]
- Clear Smog

And there it is. I think this is a much more polished version of the team, and I really like how you didn't bother adding a fairy due to the fact that fighting spam + Empo takes care of drei pretty well as it is. It's a cool concept and I hope this helped at least a lil bit n_n. Lmk if you have any questions. Oh and also change roar on empo to Toxic!!! Can't check Lati w/o Toxic u_u. But ye gl!
 
That's one cool version that i thought of but main reason why i didnt try it was that that's the kind of team im used to spam but it was built for à tourney so i couldnt bring that kind of team. Like, Hippo and Aero is basicly my fav core in UU.
Also bout Volcanion, im pretty paranoiac bout stall, i dont wanna be weak to it at all but i get the set is a bit too much :x still find the sinergy between Volcanion and Muk pretty cool and easy to use. Main reason why i've posted this team was because it was easy to use for anyone willing to try the tier with propre usage tips. Your version is basicly the next step, way stronger but maybe not fitted for people trying the tier (idk, just my opinion).
Bout Empo yeah you're right toxic is mandatory !
Anyway thanks for the tips Viv, you're bae always there to help out <3

Édit : was wondering, do you think that 44 speed invest hippo is worth ? (being at 142 to outspeed Muk and Pert)
 

vivalospride

been up all year my third eye aint even blinkin’
is a Community Contributoris a Top Tiering Contributoris a Top Team Rater Alumnusis a Forum Moderator Alumnusis a Battle Simulator Staff Alumnus
That's one cool version that i thought of but main reason why i didnt try it was that that's the kind of team im used to spam but it was built for à tourney so i couldnt bring that kind of team. Like, Hippo and Aero is basicly my fav core in UU.
Also bout Volcanion, im pretty paranoiac bout stall, i dont wanna be weak to it at all but i get the set is a bit too much :x still find the sinergy between Volcanion and Muk pretty cool and easy to use. Main reason why i've posted this team was because it was easy to use for anyone willing to try the tier with propre usage tips. Your version is basicly the next step, way stronger but maybe not fitted for people trying the tier (idk, just my opinion).
Bout Empo yeah you're right toxic is mandatory !
Anyway thanks for the tips Viv, you're bae always there to help out <3

Édit : was wondering, do you think that 44 speed invest hippo is worth ? (being at 142 to outspeed Muk and Pert)
Muk isn't exactly the most relevant in the metagame rn, there're like 4 pursuiters people are using (krook, sciz, maero, and then there's muk), muk is probably the least splashable out of the group rn. I wouldn't bother with 44 speed for Swampert/Muk, neither are the strongest rn and it's not like you're gonna OHKO Swampert or some shit, you're just gonna toxic it and then get hit with a scald/toxic right after anyways. As for Muk, Muk can't do too much to hippo other than Knock Off so I wouldn't bother taking shit out of defenses for that either, way more important.
 

Amane Misa

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Cool team. I personally think that the team is overdoing the wallbreaking role and it just wishes it had a setup sweeper that could sweep late game. I also think that Fightinium Z Volcanion + Heracross is kind of an overkill for the stall matchup and is a bit unnecessary. Lastly, because of the lack of Fairy-type, the team is very weak to Dragon-types like Hydreigon.
  • Firstly, I replaced Krookodile > Alolan Muk. Alolan Muk simply isn't too good right now as a Pursuit trapper. Most teams prefer Krookodile because of its combination of good offense, good defenses, and good Speed. It also serves as a more reliable answer to Mega Manectric.
  • As I mentioned earlier, the team just feels like it wishes it had another wincon. Because I already added Krookodile to the team, I felt safe with replacing Latias > Gligar. Latias provides the team with a reliable wincon that appreciates Heracross breaking through Steel-types for it. It also keeps the role of a Fighting-resist and a Ground-immune. That also means Stealth Rock should be fit somewhere else, hence I replaced Stealth Rock > Defog on Empoleon. I also replaced Toxic > Roar on Empoleon because it allows it to beat set up sweepers like Latias more reliably and immediate pressure hazard removers. If you're afraid of the RoarCune matchup, you could easily replace Protect with Roar, but I generally find the current set more reliable in most matchups.
  • I also mentioned that Dragon-types like Hydreigon have an extremely good matchup against the team. The team, as of now, also does not have a hazard remover. All in all, Florges > Volcanion seems like a really good choice here. Not only does Florges patch up the aforementioned weaknesses, but it also provides Wish support that makes Heracross even more threatening to defensive teams.
  • Lastly, the team has two Choice Scarf users, which is not very ideal. I changed Infernape's set to Slack Off + 3 attacks. It is a good set that has been gaining popularity lately. It breaks for your two sweepers, and with Slack Off, provides the team with more a reliable Scizor countermeasure.

Heracross (F) @ Flame Orb
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Facade
- Close Combat
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

Krookodile @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
- Fire Fang

Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 168 Atk / 88 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
- Overheat
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Slack Off

Florges (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Flower Veil
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Synthesis
- Wish
- Defog

Latias @ Dragonium Z
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Draco Meteor
- Psychic
- Recover

Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 76 Def / 180 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Scald
- Toxic

I hope that the rate helped, feel free to leave any questions.
 
Thanks for the advices ! I got several questions :
- Why Psychic but not Psyshock ? Psyshock would give the team a more reliable answer to any Cune set
- What does the Nape spread does ? Lke, what does 68 spatk aims to kill ? Pert and Quag ?
 

Amane Misa

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Thanks for the advices ! I got several questions :
- Why Psychic but not Psyshock ? Psyshock would give the team a more reliable answer to any Cune set
- What does the Nape spread does ? Lke, what does 68 spatk aims to kill ? Pert and Quag ?
Psyshock works, I just generally prefer Psychic. Psyshock is mostly there for the stall matchup and I feel like with Wish + Heracross your team's stall matchup is fine.

Infernape's spread allows it to be strong on both offensive sides of the spectrum, that hits the benchmark of OHKOing Krookodile regardless after Intimidate.
 

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