Hey guys, my name is Blaze, though I am also known as pooptroop, and this is a UU team that a built a little while ago. It does pretty well, winning most of the matches it goes into. This is also my first RMT, so I may be a little inexperienced. ^^;
In bold are changes. :)
Team Building Synopsis:
The Team:
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 192 HP / 248 SAtk / 4 SDef / 64 Spd
Modest Nature
- Morning Sun
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Sunny Day
While this set is on Smogon, it is not standard and is very useful. I almost always lead with this, because of how amazing it is. Intimidate really screws over most leads, as nearly all of them are physically offensive. Mew, Ambipom, Meinshao all hate Intimidate with a passion, and I can use the free turn if they switch to set up Sunny Day. Once Sunny Day is up, at least one Pokemon is going down. Blastoise in particular hates this set, as a Fire Blast + Solarbeam scores the KO. Even Suicune gets 2HKOd by Solarbeam(though I think this might be a physically defensive Suicune). Morning Sun offers great healing ability, and helps shrug off physical hits if they decide to stay in. Lefties is used over Life Orb for more survivability.
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
Offensive Snorlax is a beast, no question about it. This set will 2HKO every thing but the bulkiest Pokemon in the UU tier, and the special defense is great for walling Chandelure, a major threat to the team if not weakened before hand. Pursuit is used to trap Ghosts and makes it easier for Hitmontop to spin as well as Heracross to clean up late game. Body Slam may be odd when Return has higher power, but it is a great move for paralyzing Heracross switch ins and others who think that Snorlax may be banded(provided her takes no damage from an attack, which is not likely but possible.) Earthquake batters Steel types and helps defeat Chandelure if they decide to stay in, while Fire Punch hits bulky Grass types like Tangrowth hard, especially if sun is still up. It also is amazing in dealing with Abomasnow and Hail teams.
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Sucker Punch
- Close Combat
- Foresight
Often called the "second shittiest Rapid Spinner in UU" (behind Claydol), Hitmontop serves many functions on the team. First of all, he near guarantees hazards will be spun away with Foresight, especially against Hail teams, who often use Froslass as a spin blocker. Second, he makes up the second part of the "Double Intimidate" core with Arcanine, and stops any Ambipom from being a threat to the team. Thirdly, he is a great counter for Heracross, who often mistake Slowbro for being the defensive counter instead of Heracross. Fourthly(yes, there is a fourth), he lures out weakened Psychic types and KOes them with Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch usually is kept hidden throughout most of the game, until a clutch moment where a Mew or Victini think they get a free kill. He is the weakest member of the team, and Close Combat + Sucker Punch is not exactly a great offensive combo. He also cannot do too much to Heracross, but they don't stay in anyways.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Talk
The first question one might ask is, "Why Guts? Isn't Moxie the superior choice?" At first glance, this seems to be true. But Moxie Heracross is so common that most teams often have a Will-O-Wisper or Scalder Pokemon on the heels to deal with it. Guts allows Heracross to switch in on Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, and gain an immediate boost. Most people are not expecting it either, which makes it a serious threat. While he pulls his weight on the team, he isn't the strongest member of the six, and often finds himself outpredicted a lot. Thinking of putting Sleep Talk on here as well to better deal with Roserade.
Nidoqueen (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 132 SAtk / 24 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
At the suggestion of Cesterp, I add Nidoqueen to my team in place of Slowbro. I found that this bulkier Nidoqueen solved the few problems my team had left, namely Raikou, Shaymin, and Zapdos. It easily handles most threats while setting up Stealth Rock, making KOes easier for the entire team. It cuts Zapdos down a notch and keeps random threats from switching in with impunity, especially SubSeed Abomasnow. While the loss of Regenerator hurts, the ability to defeat key threats and switch moves makes this a godsend.
Yanmega @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Rock]
THE BEST CLEANER IN THE GAME!!! No doubt about it. None at all. While he does not have the sheer power of Heracross, he is virtually unwallable. Now that Chansey is out of the tier, virtually no special wall outside of Snorlax is hit neutrally by Yanmega. It also whoops the hell out of Meinshao, and Scrafty does not want to stay in on this. I sometimes bring him out mid-game to break walls, but late game, he is a monster. Late game, he does not even fear Stealth Rock! He doesn't often need many turns to clean a weakened team, and this is the truth. 5 turns is all it might need to rip through your team.
Threat List:
Crobat: Crobat is not a top threat, but if some of my team members are knocked out or weakened, it can cause problems. Brave Bird hits most of my team hard, especially Heracross and Yanmega, while Super Fang or Toxic wears down Snorlax or Slowbro. It is not hard to deal with early-game, but late game it can be difficult.
Raikou: Raikou itself is not a problem. Raikou behind a Sub, however, is a major problem. If Snorlax is weakened, it will not be able to counter it as well, and nobody else on the team can handle it. Arcanine is too slow and needs to set up, Slowbro is scared of Thunderbolt, Heracross can take major damage from a Thunderbolt, Yanmega can't do anything at all against it, and Hitmontop can;t take special hits well. A real problem.
Roserade: Roserade may seem odd considering I have Yanmega, but the real problem comes when Sleep Clause is unactivated. I can't risk switching in Yanmega and having it put to sleep. Heracross doesn't like being put to sleep either, and is the reason I want Sleep Talk on Heracross. Roserade can tear through my team when used correctly, and nearly always puts me on the backfoot.
[More to come as they are suggested]
Overall: Combining bulky offense with a reliable spinner and two great late game cleaners, this team has worked tremendously. Of course, all teams need improvement. :P
Previous Members:
Slowbro @ Choice Specs
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
This really is not a sweeper. It isn't, but he is so good. Choice Specs is near impossible to switch in with a 4x resistence or an immunity, and most people do not expect this at all. The only indication this could be Choiced is Surf above Scald if I only use STAB moves, which are all it needs to smash walls and tear through offensive Pokemon. Umbreon is lured out by this set, thinking it will wall it, before Heracross or Yanmega come out and make it switch out. Fire Blase handles Steel types, and this makes it my go to counter for Cobalion, who has virtually no moves that can touch Slowbro outside a weak Volt Switch. Grass Knot hits Water types, but doesn't find a lot of uses. I don't want to switch this for Trick though.
[Importable]
In bold are changes. :)
Team Building Synopsis:
What I wanted to do was use one of my best friend's favorite Pokemon, Arcanine. Having used it in OU as my counter to Heatran numerous times, I knew how powerful its physical set was, but it had no durability at all and Arcanine often died quickly. I didn't want that out of my Arcanine, so when looking on Smogon, I found an interesting Sunny Day set, which combined powerful offense with amazing survivability.
What I needed next was two things: A way to get past Fire types who walled me(or at least took little damage), and I needed a Rapid Spinner. Looking at UU's Rapid Spinners, I found Hitmontop. Normally I would have overlooked it, but the fact that it had Intimidate was amazing as a dual Intimidate core with Arcanine. For Fire types, I went no further than Snorlax.
After that, I looked at what could possibly benefit from Snorlax taking out Ghost types and what could also take Fighting moves for Snorlax, as I had no real resist. The obvious Pokemon to use when Ghosts are gone is Heracross, but, Moxie Heracross was too common and worked around, while I needed the speed of the Choice Scarf set. So, I chose an unorthodox set for my Heracross. For my Fighting resist, I went with none other that Slowbro, but I didn't want it to be an offensive laggard. I had used the Choice Specs set before, and wondered if it would be a good fit on this team as well.
For my last Pokemon, well, I didn't really know what I wanted out of it. ^^; It was a filler slot mostly. Looking at the team, I need a few things. I needed more speed for one. I needed another Special sweeper for more balance. And, I needed something that did not rely on Choice Scarf. The fill here? Yanmega.
I found, though, that Slowbro was a little inconsistent at times, and being stuck in one attack was not fun. At the advice of Cesterp, I changed it to a bulky Nidoqueen, which offered entry hazards and gave my team a better mixed(offense/defense) pivot.
What I needed next was two things: A way to get past Fire types who walled me(or at least took little damage), and I needed a Rapid Spinner. Looking at UU's Rapid Spinners, I found Hitmontop. Normally I would have overlooked it, but the fact that it had Intimidate was amazing as a dual Intimidate core with Arcanine. For Fire types, I went no further than Snorlax.
After that, I looked at what could possibly benefit from Snorlax taking out Ghost types and what could also take Fighting moves for Snorlax, as I had no real resist. The obvious Pokemon to use when Ghosts are gone is Heracross, but, Moxie Heracross was too common and worked around, while I needed the speed of the Choice Scarf set. So, I chose an unorthodox set for my Heracross. For my Fighting resist, I went with none other that Slowbro, but I didn't want it to be an offensive laggard. I had used the Choice Specs set before, and wondered if it would be a good fit on this team as well.
For my last Pokemon, well, I didn't really know what I wanted out of it. ^^; It was a filler slot mostly. Looking at the team, I need a few things. I needed more speed for one. I needed another Special sweeper for more balance. And, I needed something that did not rely on Choice Scarf. The fill here? Yanmega.
I found, though, that Slowbro was a little inconsistent at times, and being stuck in one attack was not fun. At the advice of Cesterp, I changed it to a bulky Nidoqueen, which offered entry hazards and gave my team a better mixed(offense/defense) pivot.
The Team:
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 192 HP / 248 SAtk / 4 SDef / 64 Spd
Modest Nature
- Morning Sun
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Sunny Day
While this set is on Smogon, it is not standard and is very useful. I almost always lead with this, because of how amazing it is. Intimidate really screws over most leads, as nearly all of them are physically offensive. Mew, Ambipom, Meinshao all hate Intimidate with a passion, and I can use the free turn if they switch to set up Sunny Day. Once Sunny Day is up, at least one Pokemon is going down. Blastoise in particular hates this set, as a Fire Blast + Solarbeam scores the KO. Even Suicune gets 2HKOd by Solarbeam(though I think this might be a physically defensive Suicune). Morning Sun offers great healing ability, and helps shrug off physical hits if they decide to stay in. Lefties is used over Life Orb for more survivability.
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
Offensive Snorlax is a beast, no question about it. This set will 2HKO every thing but the bulkiest Pokemon in the UU tier, and the special defense is great for walling Chandelure, a major threat to the team if not weakened before hand. Pursuit is used to trap Ghosts and makes it easier for Hitmontop to spin as well as Heracross to clean up late game. Body Slam may be odd when Return has higher power, but it is a great move for paralyzing Heracross switch ins and others who think that Snorlax may be banded(provided her takes no damage from an attack, which is not likely but possible.) Earthquake batters Steel types and helps defeat Chandelure if they decide to stay in, while Fire Punch hits bulky Grass types like Tangrowth hard, especially if sun is still up. It also is amazing in dealing with Abomasnow and Hail teams.
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Sucker Punch
- Close Combat
- Foresight
Often called the "second shittiest Rapid Spinner in UU" (behind Claydol), Hitmontop serves many functions on the team. First of all, he near guarantees hazards will be spun away with Foresight, especially against Hail teams, who often use Froslass as a spin blocker. Second, he makes up the second part of the "Double Intimidate" core with Arcanine, and stops any Ambipom from being a threat to the team. Thirdly, he is a great counter for Heracross, who often mistake Slowbro for being the defensive counter instead of Heracross. Fourthly(yes, there is a fourth), he lures out weakened Psychic types and KOes them with Sucker Punch. Sucker Punch usually is kept hidden throughout most of the game, until a clutch moment where a Mew or Victini think they get a free kill. He is the weakest member of the team, and Close Combat + Sucker Punch is not exactly a great offensive combo. He also cannot do too much to Heracross, but they don't stay in anyways.
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Sleep Talk
The first question one might ask is, "Why Guts? Isn't Moxie the superior choice?" At first glance, this seems to be true. But Moxie Heracross is so common that most teams often have a Will-O-Wisper or Scalder Pokemon on the heels to deal with it. Guts allows Heracross to switch in on Will-O-Wisp or Toxic, and gain an immediate boost. Most people are not expecting it either, which makes it a serious threat. While he pulls his weight on the team, he isn't the strongest member of the six, and often finds himself outpredicted a lot. Thinking of putting Sleep Talk on here as well to better deal with Roserade.
Nidoqueen (F) @ Black Sludge
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Def / 132 SAtk / 24 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
At the suggestion of Cesterp, I add Nidoqueen to my team in place of Slowbro. I found that this bulkier Nidoqueen solved the few problems my team had left, namely Raikou, Shaymin, and Zapdos. It easily handles most threats while setting up Stealth Rock, making KOes easier for the entire team. It cuts Zapdos down a notch and keeps random threats from switching in with impunity, especially SubSeed Abomasnow. While the loss of Regenerator hurts, the ability to defeat key threats and switch moves makes this a godsend.
Yanmega @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Rock]
THE BEST CLEANER IN THE GAME!!! No doubt about it. None at all. While he does not have the sheer power of Heracross, he is virtually unwallable. Now that Chansey is out of the tier, virtually no special wall outside of Snorlax is hit neutrally by Yanmega. It also whoops the hell out of Meinshao, and Scrafty does not want to stay in on this. I sometimes bring him out mid-game to break walls, but late game, he is a monster. Late game, he does not even fear Stealth Rock! He doesn't often need many turns to clean a weakened team, and this is the truth. 5 turns is all it might need to rip through your team.
Threat List:
Crobat: Crobat is not a top threat, but if some of my team members are knocked out or weakened, it can cause problems. Brave Bird hits most of my team hard, especially Heracross and Yanmega, while Super Fang or Toxic wears down Snorlax or Slowbro. It is not hard to deal with early-game, but late game it can be difficult.
Raikou: Raikou itself is not a problem. Raikou behind a Sub, however, is a major problem. If Snorlax is weakened, it will not be able to counter it as well, and nobody else on the team can handle it. Arcanine is too slow and needs to set up, Slowbro is scared of Thunderbolt, Heracross can take major damage from a Thunderbolt, Yanmega can't do anything at all against it, and Hitmontop can;t take special hits well. A real problem.
Roserade: Roserade may seem odd considering I have Yanmega, but the real problem comes when Sleep Clause is unactivated. I can't risk switching in Yanmega and having it put to sleep. Heracross doesn't like being put to sleep either, and is the reason I want Sleep Talk on Heracross. Roserade can tear through my team when used correctly, and nearly always puts me on the backfoot.
[More to come as they are suggested]
Overall: Combining bulky offense with a reliable spinner and two great late game cleaners, this team has worked tremendously. Of course, all teams need improvement. :P
Previous Members:
Slowbro @ Choice Specs
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
This really is not a sweeper. It isn't, but he is so good. Choice Specs is near impossible to switch in with a 4x resistence or an immunity, and most people do not expect this at all. The only indication this could be Choiced is Surf above Scald if I only use STAB moves, which are all it needs to smash walls and tear through offensive Pokemon. Umbreon is lured out by this set, thinking it will wall it, before Heracross or Yanmega come out and make it switch out. Fire Blase handles Steel types, and this makes it my go to counter for Cobalion, who has virtually no moves that can touch Slowbro outside a weak Volt Switch. Grass Knot hits Water types, but doesn't find a lot of uses. I don't want to switch this for Trick though.
[Importable]
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 192 HP / 248 SAtk / 4 SDef / 64 Spd
Modest Nature
- Morning Sun
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Sunny Day
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Sucker Punch
- Close Combat
- Foresight
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Slowbro @ Choice Specs
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
Yanmega @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Ground]
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 192 HP / 248 SAtk / 4 SDef / 64 Spd
Modest Nature
- Morning Sun
- Fire Blast
- SolarBeam
- Sunny Day
Snorlax @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 80 HP / 252 Atk / 176 SDef
Adamant Nature
- Pursuit
- Body Slam
- Earthquake
- Fire Punch
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def
Impish Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Sucker Punch
- Close Combat
- Foresight
Heracross @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd / 4 HP
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Earthquake
Slowbro @ Choice Specs
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 SAtk / 252 HP / 4 SDef
Modest Nature
- Surf
- Psyshock
- Fire Blast
- Grass Knot
Yanmega @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 HP
Modest Nature
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Protect
- Hidden Power [Ground]
