“Even so, there were times I saw freshness and beauty. I could smell the air, and I really loved rock 'n' roll. Tears were warm, and girls were beautiful, like dreams. I liked movie theaters, the darkness and intimacy, and I liked the deep, sad summer nights.”
THE TEAM
So, with M-Diancie and Klefki gone, I thought I'd RMT the team I've been toying with recently. (Already had most of this written up before the ban, so it seems a shame to waste it.) I don't really get the chance to ladder much and tourneys are basically out of the question these days thanks to babby, but the team still performed solidly (peaked at #21, which isn't terrible when you consider I have to forfeit every few matches because my wife does not consider "playing pokemon" a valid excuse for not changing Hogg Jr.). It's not the best team ever, but I had fun with it, and I may try to adapt it post-bans.
THE TEAM
So, with M-Diancie and Klefki gone, I thought I'd RMT the team I've been toying with recently. (Already had most of this written up before the ban, so it seems a shame to waste it.) I don't really get the chance to ladder much and tourneys are basically out of the question these days thanks to babby, but the team still performed solidly (peaked at #21, which isn't terrible when you consider I have to forfeit every few matches because my wife does not consider "playing pokemon" a valid excuse for not changing Hogg Jr.). It's not the best team ever, but I had fun with it, and I may try to adapt it post-bans.
With the prevalence of offense in UU right now, I decided I wanted to build a solid sand balance team, bulky but with Stoutland to handle fast offensive threats. Playing around with my previous XY sand balance team made it clear to me that the playstyle was still viable in the ORAS meta, but I needed some serious changes to make it work. Rather than just updating the old team, I decided to scrap it all and start anew.
The obvious two members of sand balance, Hippo and Stoutland, were givens. Stoutland is even more useful than ever, as he can effectively check new fast threats like Sceptile and Beedrill in the sand, as well as most Scarfers. I went with Whirlwind on Hippo to have an immediate check to Curselax and a shaky answer to Zygarde, as well as a decent way of dealing with DD Altaria and Salamence (RIP). With Stoutland, I stuck to the standard CB set of Frustration/Wild Charge/Crunch/Superpower, though this later changed.
Next I wanted a second sweeper to take advantage of the sand. In the previous team, that slot went to Aerodactyl, who with a little bit of investment was surprisingly bulky in sand. I still like Aerodactyl in the new meta, with its ability to outspeed and beat several key threats, but in the end I decided to drop it in favor of one of the new megas: Diancie. With Magic Bounce, Diancie was an excellent answer to Klefki and Togekiss, two major problems forbalance everyone. I went with a CM set, reasoning that her SpDf boost in sand would allow her to get off a CM on defensive water types like Vaporeon and Milotic.
So, I had a team base that I was happy with. Of course, now I knew there were several roles that needed to be filled in the remaining three slots. I needed status and Wish support to keep Diancie healthy. I needed answers to Bronzong, Forretress and Jirachi. I needed hazard removal. I needed additional answers to setup sweepers. I went through several team members, including Flygon, Tentacruel, Roserade and Cofagrigus before finally settling on the trio of Crobat/Klefki/Vaporeon. Vaporeon provided an answer to most Steel types, Wish and Heal Bell support and the ability to take on the Nidos and CroCune. Crobat provided me with Defog support and a switch-in to Bullet Punch Machamp, as well as Infiltrator Toxic to help deal with things like Zygarde and SubDD Altaria. Klefki was the catch-all answer to everything else, spreading status, discouraging setup with Foul Play and reliably providing Spikes of my own.
The obvious two members of sand balance, Hippo and Stoutland, were givens. Stoutland is even more useful than ever, as he can effectively check new fast threats like Sceptile and Beedrill in the sand, as well as most Scarfers. I went with Whirlwind on Hippo to have an immediate check to Curselax and a shaky answer to Zygarde, as well as a decent way of dealing with DD Altaria and Salamence (RIP). With Stoutland, I stuck to the standard CB set of Frustration/Wild Charge/Crunch/Superpower, though this later changed.
Next I wanted a second sweeper to take advantage of the sand. In the previous team, that slot went to Aerodactyl, who with a little bit of investment was surprisingly bulky in sand. I still like Aerodactyl in the new meta, with its ability to outspeed and beat several key threats, but in the end I decided to drop it in favor of one of the new megas: Diancie. With Magic Bounce, Diancie was an excellent answer to Klefki and Togekiss, two major problems for
So, I had a team base that I was happy with. Of course, now I knew there were several roles that needed to be filled in the remaining three slots. I needed status and Wish support to keep Diancie healthy. I needed answers to Bronzong, Forretress and Jirachi. I needed hazard removal. I needed additional answers to setup sweepers. I went through several team members, including Flygon, Tentacruel, Roserade and Cofagrigus before finally settling on the trio of Crobat/Klefki/Vaporeon. Vaporeon provided an answer to most Steel types, Wish and Heal Bell support and the ability to take on the Nidos and CroCune. Crobat provided me with Defog support and a switch-in to Bullet Punch Machamp, as well as Infiltrator Toxic to help deal with things like Zygarde and SubDD Altaria. Klefki was the catch-all answer to everything else, spreading status, discouraging setup with Foul Play and reliably providing Spikes of my own.
All in all I'm happy with the team, and even though M-Diancie (aww) and Klefki (good fucking riddance) are gone, I'd still love some feedback.
Anyhow, here's the team:
Gotanda (Hippowdon) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
“When there's nothing to do, you do nothing slowly and intently.”
Standard defensive Hippo. I went with max defense to better take on strong attackers like Darmanitan and Staraptor, as well as the omnipresent DD Altaria. I've played around with Rock Slide over Whirlwind to better handle the former two, but without Whirlwind I get set up on by defensive Altaria and Curselax. Anyhow, this thing never ever dies, reliably sets up rocks multiple times in a match, and sets the sand that allows Stoutland and Diancie to do their things. If you're a physical attacker not named Banded Staraptor/Darminatan or Sharpedo, you're looking at a 3HKO at best.
Calcs:
- 252 Atk Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 144-169 (34.3 - 40.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
- 252 Atk Reckless Mienshao High Jump Kick vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 160-189 (38.1 - 45.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
- 252 Atk Choice Band Krookodile Knock Off (97.5 BP) vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Hippowdon: 142-168 (33.8 - 40%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
Sheep Man (Stoutland) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Wild Charge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
“Dance," said the Sheep Man. "Yougottadance. Aslongasthemusicplays. Yougotta dance. Don'teventhinkwhy. Starttothink, yourfeetstop. Yourfeetstop, wegetstuck. Wegetstuck, you'restuck. Sodon'tpayanymind, nomatterhowdumb. Yougottakeepthestep. Yougottalimberup. Yougottaloosenwhatyoubolteddown. Yougottauseallyougot. Weknowyou're tired, tiredandscared. Happenstoeveryone, okay? Justdon'tletyourfeetstop.”
Stoutland is just fantastic in UU right now. CB Frustration off of base 110 Attack hits hard, 2HKOing even beefy threats like Zygarde. I had originally used Superpower in that last slot, but Pursuit support is really key for bopping fast threats like Starmie, Beedrill and Alakazam as they switch out. More importantly, it does about 70% to 252/4 Jirachi as it switches out, and 80% to Scarfrachi. While CB-locked Pursuit is obviously not ideal, neither is CB-locked Superpower. I haven't found myself regretting the swap yet.
Anyhow, Stoutland outspeeds anything up to and including +1 base 105s, and hits back hard. Just watch out for things like Scarfnape, who outspeed you even in sand. If I can get the opposing team weakened enough, Stoutland is a pretty fantastic sweeper. If not, it's an excellent revenge killer and Pursuit trapper.
Calcs:
- 252+ Atk Choice Band Stoutland Frustration vs. 200 HP / 0 Def Zygarde: 207-244 (50.8 - 59.9%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
- 252+ Atk Choice Band Stoutland Frustration vs. 240 HP / 252+ Def Swampert: 189-223 (47.1 - 55.6%) -- 76.2% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
- 252+ Atk Choice Band Stoutland Wild Charge vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Mega Aerodactyl: 328-386 (108.9 - 128.2%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- 252+ Atk Choice Band Stoutland Crunch vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Jirachi: 254-300 (62.8 - 74.2%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recover
- 252+ Atk Choice Band Stoutland Pursuit vs. 0 HP / 4 Def Beedrill: 129-152 (47.6 - 56%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock (that's a 70% chance to OHKO a perfectly healthy Beedrill with Pursuit on the switch/U-turn)
Dance Dance Dance (Diancie) @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
“Precipitate as weather, she appeared from somewhere, then evaporated, leaving only memory.”
This is my most common wincon. While Mega-Diancie typically has mediocre bulk, once in the sand her Special Defense is actually pretty intimidating, especially when boosted with Calm Mind. Suddenly a lot of OHKOs become 2HKOs, and 2HKOs become 3HKOs. Between this and Wish support, Diancie can come in multiple times in a match to threaten away slower threats and eventually sweep. She also completely wrecks stall bar Blissey (who is 2HKO'd by Diamond Storm if rocks and either sand or one layer of Spikes are up).
That said, there are a few keys to keeping Diancie alive. Scout out scarfers and faster threats, especially Jirachi. Try to figure out if Forretress is physically or specially defensive - 252/252+ Forretress only takes ~50% from +1 Earth Power, while 252/8 Forry takes ~75%. Do anything in your power to stall out Gyro Ball from Bronzong or wear him down. Once those things are done, Diancie has a clear path to sweeping.
Calcs:
- 4 SpA Suicune Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Diancie in Sand: 98-116 (40.6 - 48.1%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
- 0 SpA Celebi Giga Drain vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Diancie in Sand: 102-120 (42.3 - 49.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
- 252+ SpA Mega Blastoise Scald vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Diancie in Sand: 182-216 (75.5 - 89.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
- 252+ SpA Choice Specs Adaptability Porygon-Z Tri Attack vs. 0 HP / 4 SpD Diancie in Sand: 90-107 (37.3 - 44.3%) -- 100% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
- 0- Atk Diancie Diamond Storm vs. 4 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 264-312 (40.4 - 47.8%) -- 59% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock, sandstorm damage, and Leftovers recovery
- +1 252 SpA Diancie Earth Power vs. 248 HP / 0 SpD Nidoqueen: 394-464 (102.8 - 121.1%) -- guaranteed OHKO
- 0- Atk Diancie Diamond Storm vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Togekiss: 306-360 (82 - 96.5%) -- guaranteed OHKO after Stealth Rock
Yuki (Crobat) @No item
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Atk / 4 SpD / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost
“We knew exactly what we wanted in each other. And even so, it ended. One day it stopped, as if the film simply slipped off the reel.”
I've played around a lot with various forms of hazard removal, and finally settled on Crobat. While I hate using Defoggers that are weak to rocks, she provides a vital grass resist and ground immunity, completely destroys Mega-Bee (itemless Crobat is up there with MAggron as the best Bee switch-in in all of UU), and with Infiltrator and Toxic gives me an additional check on threats like Coil Zygarde. She also handily answers Bullet Punch Machamp, who can cause some trouble for this team. I went with itemless Crobat to also give me a second Knock Off switch-in, and to avoid killing myself with BB recoil. The given spread is standard - it outspeeds base 120s while maximizing mixed bulk, with a slight boost to Special Defense to avoid giving Download boosts to Pory and the rest in Attack.
I've been considering changing to 248 HP/124 Def/136+ Speed, which will still let me outspeed base 115s while also giving me the ability to counter CB Krook (who 2HKOs the current set with Knock Off even despite being itemless), but I worry about losing that much attacking power.
Calcs:
- 252 Atk Mega Absol Knock Off vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Crobat: 144-169 (38.6 - 45.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
- 252 Atk Adaptability Beedrill Poison Jab vs. 248 HP / 0 Def Crobat: 117-138 (31.3 - 36.9%) -- 78.5% chance to 3HKO
- 80 Atk Crobat Acrobatics (110 BP) vs. 252 HP / 0 Def Celebi: 236-282 (58.4 - 69.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Dolphin Hotel (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Protect
- Wish
“The sky grew darker, painted blue on blue, one stroke at a time, into deeper and deeper shades of night.”
Vaporeon is the glue that holds this team together. Heal Bell and Wish support prevent the team from being worn down, and she is a fantastic switch-in to Steels like Aggron, Bronzong, Forretress and most Jirachis. She's also my best answer to the Nidos (bar Thunderbolt, which is rare these days). She beats Scarf Darm and Scarfraptor one on one if healthy, stalling them out with Wish/Protect until they kill themselves with recoil. She also is a guaranteed to stall out CroCune, who becomes difficult to deal with once it gets a couple of CMs under its belt. I guess my only issue with her is that she's kind of set-up bait for bulky Volcarona, so I have to play carefully if Volcarona is on deck to prevent that from being an issue.
Calcs:
- 252 Atk Sheer Force Darmanitan Flare Blitz vs. 200 HP / 252 Def Vaporeon: 144-171 (31.9 - 37.9%) -- 0.3% chance to 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
- 252 Atk Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 200 HP / 252 Def Vaporeon: 240-283 (53.2 - 62.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery (with Protect, this becomes a high chance for a 3HKO)
- 252 SpA Life Orb Sheer Force Nidoking Sludge Wave vs. 200 HP / 56+ SpD Vaporeon: 177-211 (39.2 - 46.7%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
The Rat (Klefki) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic
- Foul Play
“Possibilities are like cancer. The more I think about them, the more they multiply, and there's no way to stop them. I'm out of control.”
Klefki, you are too good in this metagame. With that phenomenal defensive typing, Klefki is an excellent answer to, well, everything. He comes in easily thanks to his typing, and every time he comes in he does something useful, paralyzing sweepers or poisoning walls or dropping a layer of Spikes. Foul Play is there to keep him from being set-up bait. I've contemplated switching Toxic out for Magnet Rise, to avoid being chased out by Krook and Rhyperior, but I'd rather catch them with Toxic on the switch and bounce over to Vaporeon or Crobat. I went fully defensive to beat banded raptor, who can't 3HKO with either STAB and who loses to Thunder Wave + Foul Play.
Calcs:
- 252 Atk Choice Band Reckless Staraptor Brave Bird vs. 248 HP / 252+ Def Klefki: 127-150 (40 - 47.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO
REPLAYS & LADDER STANDING
“Mediocrity's like a spot on a shirt—it never comes off.”
Not the most impressive peak in the world, but unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to ladder these days, and the Diancie ban came on before I could push any higher.
I didn't get a ton of replays - I was hoping to get a few more this evening, but again, Diancie going BL prevents that. Here are a couple that I've saved, though:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-189499017 - A surprise Iron Tail loses Diancie early, but I'm able to wear down the team enough to bring in Stoutland and sweep.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-189519536 - This one is all Diancie. She pretty much single-handedly controls the game from turn 1.
Not the most impressive peak in the world, but unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to ladder these days, and the Diancie ban came on before I could push any higher.
I didn't get a ton of replays - I was hoping to get a few more this evening, but again, Diancie going BL prevents that. Here are a couple that I've saved, though:
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-189499017 - A surprise Iron Tail loses Diancie early, but I'm able to wear down the team enough to bring in Stoutland and sweep.
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-189519536 - This one is all Diancie. She pretty much single-handedly controls the game from turn 1.
Gotanda (Hippowdon) @ Smooth Rock
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
Sheep Man (Stoutland) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Wild Charge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
Dance Dance Dance (Diancie) @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Yuki (Crobat)
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Atk / 4 SpD / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost
Dolphin Hotel (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Protect
- Wish
The Rat (Klefki) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic
- Foul Play
Ability: Sand Stream
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Impish Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Whirlwind
- Slack Off
Sheep Man (Stoutland) @ Choice Band
Ability: Sand Rush
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Frustration
- Wild Charge
- Crunch
- Pursuit
Dance Dance Dance (Diancie) @ Diancite
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 SpA / 30 Spe
- Calm Mind
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Diamond Storm
Yuki (Crobat)
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 80 Atk / 4 SpD / 176 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Acrobatics
- Toxic
- Defog
- Roost
Dolphin Hotel (Vaporeon) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 200 HP / 252 Def / 56 SpD
Calm Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Heal Bell
- Protect
- Wish
The Rat (Klefki) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Thunder Wave
- Toxic
- Foul Play
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