ORAS UU Darkness: KrookDoom Offense (Peak #107 on PS)

[GeniusX]

How's it going Smogon! This is my second RMT on a team I made a few weeks ago with great success. I have been playing this team since I started UU (Which was like 3 weeks ago) and managed to peak on the ladder and win a few room tours. (With the exception of losing to celebi kevin twice -_-#) This team focuses around Band Krook and Mega Houndoom, which I personally think are very underated in this meta, but definetly carries a lot of potential.

Proof of Peak:

How it started

A few weeks ago, I was looking at the newest UU viability rankings, and realized Dark type was a very spammable type in UU, with great offensive presence supported by mons such as

,

,

,

, and

, moves such as Dark Pulse, Knock Off, and Crunch becomes devastating to the entire tire barring resisted types. As a offense player, I really wanted to try out Dark Spam, and bring out the potential of one mon that I think is very underated, Houndoom.

Edit: After taking into consideration all of the rates, I can up with 2 versions of this team. I did this because all the rates suggested different ideas to remedy this teams weaknesses, so both versions will be shown below.
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The Squads

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_____________________________________________________________________________​

Teambuilding Process

So as stated above, I really wanted to use Mega Houndoom, an I thought a great partner for it would be Band Krook. Former being a Special Set up Sweeper and the latter being a wallbreaking powerhouse, not much can resist both mons coverage.

The core I started with was Dark Spam, so I needed to cover some immediate threats to my team. Whimsicott was perfect, providing nice support and water and fighting resist and providing momentum with U-turn.

I wanted a Fairy killer while also being able to handle Waters with ice coverage. Toxicroak was instantly added to the squad. With a amazing ability in Dry Skin, not only can it deal with bulky waters, it is a reliable check to fairies.

My team was looking quite weak to Mamoswine, so I added Sub DD Gyara. This mon provided a nice late game cleaner while also finishing my FWG core and my Double Intimidate core. Gyara can also deal with a lot of fast threats with a DD up since my team wasn't that fast.

At first, I opt for Rocks Azelf, as this team forces a lot of switching. But after playing a couple of games I realized I needed a mon to rid of hazards on our side, as it is very easy to wear this team down with it. This is when Azelf was swapped for Defog Lo Mence.

Mence was a great addition to the team that provided defog support and another Intimidate user. (boy my team sure is scary) LO Draco was also very useful and provided another ground resist.

Ver 1

After a few rates, I thought Tentacruel would be great as another fairy counter and can provide T spikes and spinning away hazards on my side. It also relieves pressure off of Toxicroak for being the only water counter.

I decided to keep Salamence for the ground immunity and the fact that it can sweep late game. I changed the set to lum DD as we already have a spinner. It also acts as another fairy lure with iron tail.

Now i just changed Krookodiles moveset to rocks one and version one of the team is done. Pursuit was chosen over Superpower as pursuit trapping ghosts help making spinning easier.

Ver 2

For ver 2 the first member is Shuca Empoleon which offers a nice fairy resist and a very good utility poke. He also wields the power of the most op move in the game.

The last mon on Ver 2 is Scarf Zapdos. Zapdos is here to have a ground and fighting resist. I chose scarf in particular as it has the potential to surprise people and can outspeed a lot of threats to my team. It also adds another pivot.

Houndoom @

Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature Hasty Nature

Fire Blast

Dark Pulse

Sucker Punch

Nasty Plot

One of the main members of the team, and the leading pokemon behind the concept of this team. Fairly fast and massive special attack after mega evolving. Especially with Nasty Plot, most specially defensive walls struggle to handle a stab Fire Blast/Dark Pulse. Mega Houndoom's STAB combination is excellent as most Dark resists are hit hard by Fire Blast. Protect is here for pulling off a safe Mega evolution and scouting for choice-locked moves. Sucker Punch was chosen as it allowed me to take care of zam and deal extra damage to certain mons. Hasty Nature is also here to maximize damage output.
Calcs:​

+2 252 SpA Mega Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Florges: 201-237 (55.8 - 65.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 SpA Mega Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Umbreon: 228-268 (57.8 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 SpA Mega Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey: 292-345 (40.8 - 48.3%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

(Note: Fat Blob can easily be set up on to +4)

Krookodile @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Knock Off

Pursuit

Earthquake

Stone Edge

or

@

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Earthquake

Knock Off

Pursuit

Stealth Rock

CB Krook is notoriously difficult to face for defensive teams with its strong STAB in Knock Off and Earthquake. Pretty normal moveset, the ever-fantastic edgequake combo with dark stab in Knock Off and Pursuit for trapping low health enemies. This mon can easily punch holes through teams while being able to switch into some physical attacks with intimidate. Krook is also my primary mon for dealing with Mega Aero as he cannot switch into a Edge and cannot take 2 Pursuits. He is also the second part of the Dark Spam Core.

Rocks Krook is a very solid mon on Ver 2. With rocks support and knocking off items, it is a irreplaceable mon. he has pursuit to help this team better at spinning and dread plate boosted pursuit is also very threatening.

Band Krook is preferred for Ver 2 as Ver 2 has a separate rocker.

Whimsicott @

Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Moonblast

Encore

Stun Spore

U-turn

/

Giga Drain

Whimsicott is capable of supporting both Houndoom and Krook in enormous amounts of ways. It is a very good check to many mons that they despise, especially ones such as Hydreigon, It also resists annoying fighting types such as Mienshao and Heracross, which both threaten to revenge-kill Houndoom and Krook. It also is a check to Waters and provides speed control with Stun Spore. U-turn is a excellent way to get momentum and bring in one of the members safely. This mon is a glue to this team.

Giga Drain can be chosen over U-turn if you value taking out bulky grounds for momentum. I use Giga in Ver 1 and U-turn in Ver 2 because in Ver 2 i have another VoltTurner and combined with Cott, can bring in mons easily. Leftovers are replaced by Pixie Plate as Cott now has the ability to Ohko Mence.

Toxicroak (F) @

Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Jolly Nature

Swords Dance

Gunk Shot

Drain Punch

Sucker Punch

My favorite member of the team. Toxicroak is one of the most reliable Fairy-type counters in UU, and on top of that, is the only Fighting-type that can hold its ground against them. Moreover, because of it's Water-type immunity, can easily switch into the bulky Water-types that plague the tier and OHKO most of them with a +2 Gunk Shot. Toxicroak also works extremely well as a offensive core with both Krook and Doom. Doom and Croak are both extremely threatning setup sweepers that weaken or remove many checks to counter each other.

Toxicroak was changed to a bulkier spread as it increases its longevity throughout the match and allows it to 1v1 mons such as Cobalion.

Ver 1

Tentacruel @

Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Scald

Acid Spray

Rapid Spin

Toxic Spikes

This thing is my more solid counter to Fairies, and can also counter Aero if not carrying EQ. Being able to outspeed mons such as Mamo and fire off a scald is also very nice. But Tenta is just a excellent spinner. Krook on this team can also trap ghost types bar sableye and it's just a really good mon in general. Tspikes is also useful as it racks up damage on mons to the point where some of my other mons can just clean up. It is also a more solid counter to entei.

Salamence @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

Outrage

Earthquake

Iron Tail

Dragon Dance

My late game sweeper , and my fighting resist. Mence is here so that fighting types don't just need to spam HJK to win, and serve as a solid win con.

Ver2

Empoleon @

Ability: Torrent
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature

Stealth Rock

Scald

Flash Cannon

/

Ice Beam

Defog

Empoleon serves as my fairy check for Ver 2 of this team. He also provides Rocks support and defog support. This penguin can also tank a EQ in a pinch from mons such as mamo/aero and fire back with a scald, putting them in range of Sucker or rocks respectively. The given Speed investment lets Empoleon outspeed everything up to base 65 Speed Pokemon, including Alomomola, Chesnaught, Porygon2, and uninvested Swampert.

Zapdos @

Ability: Static
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Thunderbolt

Hidden Power [Ice]

Volt Switch

Heat Wave

This set involves some of my own creations. Scarf Zapdos stops EQ spam, outpseeds Mega Beedrill, Mega Sceptile, and non mega aero. (Speed tie with Mega aero which u never want to risk) Thunderbolt is the main stab move of choice, HP Ice for Sceptile, and heat wave for Bee + Steel. Volt Switch is another interesting move to use for momentum as not much people expect scarf Zapdos.

Previous Members
These mons below was the original members of the team.

Gyarados @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Dragon Dance

Waterfall

Bounce

Substitute

Gyarados is one of the newest toys in UU. Even though he with a x4 weakness in electric, he is one of the most feared setup sweeper in the meta right now. Gyarados is sometimes a check to Mamo, but doesn't like taking Icicle Crashes to the face. Substitute gives Gyarados an immunity to status moves, which can cut its sweep short. Dragon Dance is the obligatory setup move, giving Gyarados sweeping potential after just one boost. Waterfall is Gyarados's main STAB move, and Bounce is his secondary STAB, being able to deal damage to grass types.

Salamence @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk

Draco Meteor

Fire Blast

Roost

Defog

Salamence is my third Intimidate user, and also my defog user. LO Draco hits surprisingly hard, Fire Blast is for Steel type. Defog is absolutely neccesary for the team, and Roost is for staying alive. Mence is my primary Fighting resist as Whimsi and Gyara aren't that bulky. I'm running a special set because 1. I don't need another DD user 2. He is my primary switch in to Entei as both Krook and Gyara hate getting burned.
​

Threatlist (Will be updated once I play more games)

Playing with mon = 50-50. My resist to sacred fire include Gyara, Krook, Mence, Doom. It doesn't sound too bad, but 3/4 of the mons I stated will die to Band Edge and the last one hate burns. Everytime this mon is sent in, I have to make a prediction. (Since when did this have a switch in)

etc
Bulky Water Ground is a problem, normally I rely on Toxicroak to counter bulky waters, but these mons can just ohko it with a EQ. These don't neccesarily do much damage, but are annoying to take down and can spread around status and hazards.

No switch ins. Toxicroak can't switch into 2 Moonblasts. So I have to predict the moment he goes for Protect/Toxic/Wish, and then go out into Croak.

This thing is so annoying. Superpower KO Doom and Krook. Ice coverage takes out Whimsi and Mence. EQ destroys Croak. I have to keep Gyarados healthy throughout the match to counter this beast and always make sure hazards are off my field.

Outspeeds my entire team. Best bet is to para it with Whimsicott. Otherwise can wreak havoc if it has aqua tail.

Replays​

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-357046168 LO mence cleans up

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358246017 Really close match vs Bad_Vegan

​

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358492710 vs BadRapSample, a fun match where it could have gone either way

​

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358248989 Playing around with Intimidate won me the game

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358406452 Power of Toxicroak

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-359724871 vs TSR It all came down to rolls

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358441187 Protect on Doom and a risky prediction saving me

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-359715645 vs Threw☭ Choked at the end, but managed to pull out a W

​

Importables

Ver 1: http://pastebin.com/pv20QXeu

Ver 2: http://pastebin.com/RutjyBcY​

​

 

[Cynde]

hello, as you stated your weakness to mega aerodactyl and florges are pretty apparent and your lack of switch ins to either of them will leave you losing quickly to them, so in order to help mitigate this i'd recommend running doublade > gyarados. so between doublade and toxicroak you now have a reliable way of offensively removing fairies and your team gains some much needed defensive utility against pokemon like mega aerodactyl.

doublade

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
- Iron Head

unfortunately, doublade is incredibly prone to being worn down and between checking fairies and mega aero it really isn't going to last so i think having a way to lure and remove fairies will be pretty important for your team. i think you should give roseli berry + iron tail krookodile consideration. it's a buffer against fairy types, provides you a way to hit mega aerodactyl and gives your team stealth rocks which is mandatory.

krookodile

Krookodile @ Roseli Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Iron Tail
- Earthquake
- Knock Off

that pretty much covers it for the major changes. now onto the minor ones: sucker punch > protect on mega houndoom would allow your team to check alakazam to a better degree and you should also change its nature to hasty in order to maximise its damage output. giga drain > u-turn on whimsicott would be nice in order to have a way to soft check bulky water types outside of toxicroak and allows you to soft check mega swampert. this is more optional but charti berry might be worth some consideration on salamence for mega aerodactyl.

summary:

• doublade > gyara
• roseli + iron tail krook > cb krook
• sucker doom > tect doom
• giga cott > u-turn

 

[Manipulative]

Hey there! Really cool team you've got going here. Dark spam could be pretty effective. Here are some adjustments that you can make to the team to have a better time using it.

• You should definitely be using Dread Plate Krookodile with Stealth Rock and Pursuit. Stealth Rock is a necessity on any competitive team, and this one is no exception. Yeah, the power of CB could be appealing but it's never worth passing up on having rocks on your team. Also, Pursuit is a given on any Krookodile and is one of the main attractions to using Krookodile in the first place.

• I don't believe that you're as Mamo weak as you think you are. Mega Houndoom takes it 1v1 after Rocks and a round of Life Orb recoil, Toxicroak takes an Ice Shard comfortably and KOs it in return, and even Dread Plate Krookodile can do 60-70% with Knock Off while stripping it of its Life Orb. Gyarados certainly helps with Mamoswine as well, but it's not as ridiculously threatening as you think it is even without Gyarados. Frankly, I think Gyarados is the weakpoint of this team and also the most expendable member. I suggest replacing Gyarados with Curse Snorlax for various reasons. Not having a fairy resist is really scary, and your team definitely struggles with Florges and the likes, especially if Toxicroak goes down. Snorlax might not have a fairy resistance, but it takes next to nothing from Moonblast, and can switch into and beat Florges with ease. Its ability in Thick Fat gives you a fire resistance that can afford to switch into Entei's Stone edge, which you mentioned was a concern. Thick Fat also gives you a resistance to ice, a typing that your team is extremely vulnerable to right now. Snorlax can also switch into and take those bulky water-ground types 1v1. From full health, it beats MAero and Mamoswine 1v1 after a Curse as well. Basically, Snorlax helps with your match up against everything on your threatlist and can even be of use against threats that you don't have on your threatlist. Mega Sceptile would be one of those threats and is by far the most threatening mon to your team since it outspeeds everything and Whimsicott's Stun Spore doesn't work on it. Snorlax isn't a counter to MSceptile by any means as there's a good chance that it would die to two Focus Blasts from a Modest MSceptile after Rocks, but it could at least switch into Leaf Storms and do some decent damage to it with Body Slam while potentially paralyzing it. Defensive utility aside, Snorlax also has really good offensive synergy with your team. You have Krookodile to pursuit trap most ghosts, which are the biggest obstacle to a Snorlax sweep. Mega Houndoom and Whimsicott are able to take care of Sableye, which Krookodile can't. The team also seems like it could deal with most fighting types pretty well, which are the next biggest threat to Snorlax. Anyways, here's the set:

Snorlax @ Leftovers
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 144 HP / 188 Def / 176 SpD
Careful Nature
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Rest
- Sleep Talk​

• As I mentioned before, MSceptile is by far the biggest threat to your team and you would have a really difficult time taking it down before it beats your entire team. Snorlax helps with it to an extent, but doesn't want to switch into a Modest Focus Blast and take another one afterwards. Since Snorlax gave your team a new fire resist and can check things like NP Nape, I think your team could afford to replace Salamence with Physically Defensive HP Ice Zapdos. With some small Special Defense investment and rocks off of your side of the field, Zapdos can switch into Modest MSceptile pretty comfortably and take it out with HP Ice. You want Zapdos to be a physically defensive variant so that the team still has a pretty solid check to fighting types. Zapdos would also help with Milotic, which has been on the rise and can give your team a hard time. Here's the set:

Zapdos @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 240 HP / 176 Def / 68 SpD / 24 Spe
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk / 30 Def
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost
- Defog​

• Regular Houndoom actually has some decent base speed, unlike Beedrill which absolutely needs Protect in most situations before mega evolving. There are some other options that you could run over Protect for Houndoom such as Taunt or Sucker Punch. For this team, I think your best option would be to replace Protect with Sucker Punch. You should also switch to a Hasty nature. Alakazam seems pretty threatening to the team and it is the main reason why Sucker Punch has become the most common 4th moveslot on Mega Houndoom. Sucker Punch is also good for chip damage and could actually do over half to things like Mega Beedrill, which is also pretty threatening to the team.

Other Options:

• I would personally prefer to have HP Ice on Zapdos so that you're able to instantly get rid of MSceptile, but another option is running Toxic in its place. This would put MSceptile on a timer, which Zapdos could stall out. It would also help against those pesky Water-Grounds that your team still doesn't like, and can be a pretty useful move in general.

• You could also consider running Giga Drain over U-turn on Whimsicott if you're willing to give up being able to gather momentum easier. This would be the better option to deal with bulky water-grounds, including Mega Swampert.

I hope this helped, and good luck with the team!

 

[Sacri']

Hey man, cool looking team you have got there. Bulky Offense is one of my favorite style in the current meta and I'm always happy to see it getting some love. Onto the rate

• This team is really weak to Rocks. You do have Salamence to Defog but having 3 rocks weakness means that theres too much pressure on Mence to allow it do it's job correctly. You are also really weak to Aerodactyl-Mega that is why I'd like to suggest Shuca Berry Empoleon over Salamence. This change also gives you rocks, a much better Fairy switch in as well as a decent special attacker in general.

• Calm Mind Florges is still really annoying, that is why your team might appreciate running a Bulky Spread on Toxicroak with Black Sludge. This change basically allows you to use Toxicroaks great defensive utility to deal better with fighting and water types. This spread + black sludge means that you set up on many things for free, it also allows you to beat SD Cobalion 1v1 which is always really cool.

• Pixie Plate on Whimsicott would give it a much better offensive pressure, this item means that you can OHKO Salamence with Moonblast which makes Whimsicott even more dangerous versus offensive teams.

• Sucker Punch over Protect is a mandatory change to help the team versus Alakazam which is also hell of a threat. This can also help to put Aero into +2 Toxicroak range, that kind of stuff.

sets

Toxicroak @ Black Sludge
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch

Empoleon @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Defog

Whimsicott @ Pixie Plate
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- U-Turn
- Stun Spore
- Encore

Houndoom @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Sucker Punch
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse

Hope I helped!

 

[GeniusX]

So, first things first, I want to thank everybody who rated my team, and I've tried my best to try and make this team better with the help of all your suggestions. Once I finish testing all the possible forms of this team, I will be sure to upgrade this RMT!

Just wanted to share my thoughts on Mega Sceptile because Manipulative stated that it was a huge threat to my team. I agree with the fact that it outspeeds and damages my entire team, but I don't find it too much of a threat. In games with Sceptile, the Combination of Whimsicott and Toxicroak implement insane amount of pressure to opposing Sceptile's and I didin't find it as too much of a threat. Along with some of the changes shown below, I believe I can successfully get past Sceptile without too much problems.
P.S This is just my thought and it can be completely wrong.

Member Changes:

So I really liked the Shuca Empoleon > Salamence change posted by Sacri' since it can counter fairies, set up rocks, and remove hazards all into one slot. Shuca was also really nice as it can lure in some ground types and deal good amount of damage to put them in sucker range.

As for the last member, I still haven't decided whether to go with Doublade or Snorlax. Since I replaced Mence with Empoleon, it makes mons such as Mienshao easier to spam HJK, Doublade can stop that but at the same time make me more vulnerable to NP Infernape. CurseLax can stop NP Infernape short unless it's running CC>Vacuum Wave. CurseLax also have more longetivity then Doublade as Doublade is more easily worn down. I will test both these mons out on the ladder for a few more battles before coming to a final conclusion.

Moveset/Spread Changes:

Krookodile was changed to the Dread Plate version stated by Manipulative, except with Taunt over Rocks as I already have Empoleon. As for Cyndequil.'s suggestion for Krookodile, it sounds like a very interesting lure and can take care of fairies, but because I added Empoleon and is replacing Gyarados, I don't find fairies that threatening anymore.

Bulky Toxicroak suggested by Sacri' sounds really interesting and I will probably implement this change once I run into more Cobalion and Fairies on the ladder.

Minor Changes:

Sucker Punch>Protect on Houndoom with Hasty Nature

Pixie Plate>Leftovers on Whimsicott

Giga Drain>U-turn on Whimsicott

Once again, Thank everyone who rated my team, once I come up with some more solid thoughts, I will add these changes to the RMT.

 

[leng loi]

Hello User: GeniusX, this definitely looks like a fun team to play with, and Mega Houndoom is definitely something that looks dangerous in the current meta, but I have a few changes that I would make to your team to give it some more solid match-ups against some of the things that currently threaten your team.

First, just some set changes.

While Protect can be useful sometimes, Houndoom can still mega evolve on quite a few offensive and defensive pokemon in the tier, namely Choice Locked Pokemon such as Hydreigon. I find that Protect isn't very useful in many situations and would instead second the suggestion of Sucker Punch over Protect on Houndoom. This gives you another answer to Alakazam and Beedril, both of which are big threats to your team. Of course, Sucker Punch requires a Hasty Nature rather than Timid to deal more damage.

Set

Houndoom-Mega @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Nasty Plot

Another small change for efficiency that I would recommend is running Giga Drain over Stun Spore on Whimsicott. Stun Spore is really nice and can win games in certain situations, but for this team I really like the ability to not only switch in to bulky waters but to deal considerable damage to them. Whimsicott would also benefit from a bulkier spread in my opinion, seeing as it is one of the only answers you have to the numerous water types in the tier. Something like 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe would be preferable, minimizing damage from physical attacks

I also definitely agree that this team needs rocks, and therefore would advise Stealth Rock Krookodile over Banded Krookodile.

In terms of team member changes, I don't like Toxicroak on this team. It's relatively slow and in my experience doesn't hit hard enough before boosts to justify losing momentum on a team like this. I want to propose changing Toxicroak to Offensive Acid Spray Tentacruel. It is still able to deal with fairies, while actually being able to switch in to them, and helps your match-up against Entei and Mamoswine a lot.

Set

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Acid Spray
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes

Now that you have a spinner, Defog Mence is unnecessary. I still like Mence for this team though, switching into physical attackers (mainly fighting types), and taking advantage of Fairies being weakened by Houndoom, so I would suggest Lum DD Salamence over LO Defog Salamence.

Set

Salamence @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Dance

At this point the team looks fine, but there are a couple of problems:

• Having two offensive water types makes Volt-turn really frustrating
• Scarf Hydreigon + Anything that can force out Whimsi wears down the team very quickly
• Porygon2 beats a majority of your team
• Mega Aerodactyl is a problem, as it is for most offense teams
• Mamoswine

To attempt to remedy these problems as best I can, I'm going to suggest running Shuca or Lum Berry SD Cobalion over Gyarados. Cobalion adds another check to Hydreigon, another way to break P2, and a check to Aerodactyl in one mon.

I know changing 2 mons is kinda drastic but I think it's for the better, nice team though.

Import

Houndoom-Mega @ Houndoominite
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 4 Atk / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Sucker Punch
- Nasty Plot

Whimsicott @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Bold Nature
- Moonblast
- Encore
- Giga Drain
- U-turn

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Scald
- Acid Spray
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic Spikes

Krookodile @ Dread Plate
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Salamence @ Lum Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Dance

Cobalion @ Lum Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Iron Head
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Swords Dance

 

[GeniusX]

Thanks for the rate, BIAF!
After analyzing everyones rates, i decided to make 2 versions of this team. I upgraded the RMT to include all my thought process and my final decisions on the team. I just want to say thanks to everyone who rated my team.

 

[Morsel]

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How's it going Smogon! This is my second RMT on a team I made a few weeks ago with great success. I have been playing this team since I started UU (Which was like 3 weeks ago) and managed to peak on the ladder and win a few room tours. (With the exception of losing to celebi kevin twice -_-#) This team focuses around Band Krook and Mega Houndoom, which I personally think are very underated in this meta, but definetly carries a lot of potential.

Proof of Peak:
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How it started

A few weeks ago, I was looking at the newest UU viability rankings, and realized Dark type was a very spammable type in UU, with great offensive presence supported by mons such as View attachment 60924 , View attachment 60925 , View attachment 60926 ,View attachment 60928 , and View attachment 60930 , moves such as Dark Pulse, Knock Off, and Crunch becomes devastating to the entire tire barring resisted types. As a offense player, I really wanted to try out Dark Spam, and bring out the potential of one mon that I think is very underated, Houndoom.

Edit: After taking into consideration all of the rates, I can up with 2 versions of this team. I did this because all the rates suggested different ideas to remedy this teams weaknesses, so both versions will be shown below.
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The Squads

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Teambuilding Process


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So as stated above, I really wanted to use Mega Houndoom, an I thought a great partner for it would be Band Krook. Former being a Special Set up Sweeper and the latter being a wallbreaking powerhouse, not much can resist both mons coverage.

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The core I started with was Dark Spam, so I needed to cover some immediate threats to my team. Whimsicott was perfect, providing nice support and water and fighting resist and providing momentum with U-turn.

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I wanted a Fairy killer while also being able to handle Waters with ice coverage. Toxicroak was instantly added to the squad. With a amazing ability in Dry Skin, not only can it deal with bulky waters, it is a reliable check to fairies.

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My team was looking quite weak to Mamoswine, so I added Sub DD Gyara. This mon provided a nice late game cleaner while also finishing my FWG core and my Double Intimidate core. Gyara can also deal with a lot of fast threats with a DD up since my team wasn't that fast.

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At first, I opt for Rocks Azelf, as this team forces a lot of switching. But after playing a couple of games I realized I needed a mon to rid of hazards on our side, as it is very easy to wear this team down with it. This is when Azelf was swapped for Defog Lo Mence.
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Mence was a great addition to the team that provided defog support and another Intimidate user. (boy my team sure is scary) LO Draco was also very useful and provided another ground resist.

Ver 1

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After a few rates, I thought Tentacruel would be great as another fairy counter and can provide T spikes and spinning away hazards on my side. It also relieves pressure off of Toxicroak for being the only water counter.

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I decided to keep Salamence for the ground immunity and the fact that it can sweep late game. I changed the set to lum DD as we already have a spinner. It also acts as another fairy lure with iron tail.

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Now i just changed Krookodiles moveset to rocks one and version one of the team is done. Pursuit was chosen over Superpower as pursuit trapping ghosts help making spinning easier.

Ver 2

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For ver 2 the first member is Shuca Empoleon which offers a nice fairy resist and a very good utility poke. He also wields the power of the most op move in the game.

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The last mon on Ver 2 is Scarf Zapdos. Zapdos is here to have a ground and fighting resist. I chose scarf in particular as it has the potential to surprise people and can outspeed a lot of threats to my team. It also adds another pivot.

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Houndoom @

Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature Hasty Nature

Fire Blast

Dark Pulse

Sucker Punch

Nasty Plot

One of the main members of the team, and the leading pokemon behind the concept of this team. Fairly fast and massive special attack after mega evolving. Especially with Nasty Plot, most specially defensive walls struggle to handle a stab Fire Blast/Dark Pulse. Mega Houndoom's STAB combination is excellent as most Dark resists are hit hard by Fire Blast. Protect is here for pulling off a safe Mega evolution and scouting for choice-locked moves. Sucker Punch was chosen as it allowed me to take care of zam and deal extra damage to certain mons. Hasty Nature is also here to maximize damage output.
Calcs:​

+2 252 SpA Mega Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Florges: 201-237 (55.8 - 65.8%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 SpA Mega Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 252+ SpD Umbreon: 228-268 (57.8 - 68%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery

+2 252 SpA Mega Houndoom Fire Blast vs. 252 HP / 4 SpD Blissey: 292-345 (40.8 - 48.3%) -- 9% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery

(Note: Fat Blob can easily be set up on to +4)



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Krookodile @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Knock Off

Pursuit

Earthquake

Stone Edge

or

@

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Earthquake

Knock Off

Pursuit

Stealth Rock

CB Krook is notoriously difficult to face for defensive teams with its strong STAB in Knock Off and Earthquake. Pretty normal moveset, the ever-fantastic edgequake combo with dark stab in Knock Off and Pursuit for trapping low health enemies. This mon can easily punch holes through teams while being able to switch into some physical attacks with intimidate. Krook is also my primary mon for dealing with Mega Aero as he cannot switch into a Edge and cannot take 2 Pursuits. He is also the second part of the Dark Spam Core.

Rocks Krook is a very solid mon on Ver 2. With rocks support and knocking off items, it is a irreplaceable mon. he has pursuit to help this team better at spinning and dread plate boosted pursuit is also very threatening.

Band Krook is preferred for Ver 2 as Ver 2 has a separate rocker.

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Whimsicott @

Ability: Prankster
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Moonblast

Encore

Stun Spore

U-turn

/

Giga Drain

Whimsicott is capable of supporting both Houndoom and Krook in enormous amounts of ways. It is a very good check to many mons that they despise, especially ones such as Hydreigon, It also resists annoying fighting types such as Mienshao and Heracross, which both threaten to revenge-kill Houndoom and Krook. It also is a check to Waters and provides speed control with Stun Spore. U-turn is a excellent way to get momentum and bring in one of the members safely. This mon is a glue to this team.

Giga Drain can be chosen over U-turn if you value taking out bulky grounds for momentum. I use Giga in Ver 1 and U-turn in Ver 2 because in Ver 2 i have another VoltTurner and combined with Cott, can bring in mons easily. Leftovers are replaced by Pixie Plate as Cott now has the ability to Ohko Mence.

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Toxicroak (F) @

Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe 236 HP / 252 Atk / 20 Spe
Jolly Nature

Swords Dance

Gunk Shot

Drain Punch

Sucker Punch

My favorite member of the team. Toxicroak is one of the most reliable Fairy-type counters in UU, and on top of that, is the only Fighting-type that can hold its ground against them. Moreover, because of it's Water-type immunity, can easily switch into the bulky Water-types that plague the tier and OHKO most of them with a +2 Gunk Shot. Toxicroak also works extremely well as a offensive core with both Krook and Doom. Doom and Croak are both extremely threatning setup sweepers that weaken or remove many checks to counter each other.

Toxicroak was changed to a bulkier spread as it increases its longevity throughout the match and allows it to 1v1 mons such as Cobalion.

Ver 1
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Tentacruel @

Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Scald

Acid Spray

Rapid Spin

Toxic Spikes

This thing is my more solid counter to Fairies, and can also counter Aero if not carrying EQ. Being able to outspeed mons such as Mamo and fire off a scald is also very nice. But Tenta is just a excellent spinner. Krook on this team can also trap ghost types bar sableye and it's just a really good mon in general. Tspikes is also useful as it racks up damage on mons to the point where some of my other mons can just clean up. It is also a more solid counter to entei.

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Salamence @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature

Outrage

Earthquake

Iron Tail

Dragon Dance

My late game sweeper , and my fighting resist. Mence is here so that fighting types don't just need to spam HJK to win, and serve as a solid win con.

Ver2
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Empoleon @

Ability: Torrent
EVs: 208 HP / 252 SpA / 48 Spe
Modest Nature

Stealth Rock

Scald

Flash Cannon

/

Ice Beam

Defog

Empoleon serves as my fairy check for Ver 2 of this team. He also provides Rocks support and defog support. This penguin can also tank a EQ in a pinch from mons such as mamo/aero and fire back with a scald, putting them in range of Sucker or rocks respectively. The given Speed investment lets Empoleon outspeed everything up to base 65 Speed Pokemon, including Alomomola, Chesnaught, Porygon2, and uninvested Swampert.

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Zapdos @

Ability: Static
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

Thunderbolt

Hidden Power [Ice]

Volt Switch

Heat Wave

This set involves some of my own creations. Scarf Zapdos stops EQ spam, outpseeds Mega Beedrill, Mega Sceptile, and non mega aero. (Speed tie with Mega aero which u never want to risk) Thunderbolt is the main stab move of choice, HP Ice for Sceptile, and heat wave for Bee + Steel. Volt Switch is another interesting move to use for momentum as not much people expect scarf Zapdos.

Previous Members
These mons below was the original members of the team.

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Gyarados @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature

Dragon Dance

Waterfall

Bounce

Substitute

Gyarados is one of the newest toys in UU. Even though he with a x4 weakness in electric, he is one of the most feared setup sweeper in the meta right now. Gyarados is sometimes a check to Mamo, but doesn't like taking Icicle Crashes to the face. Substitute gives Gyarados an immunity to status moves, which can cut its sweep short. Dragon Dance is the obligatory setup move, giving Gyarados sweeping potential after just one boost. Waterfall is Gyarados's main STAB move, and Bounce is his secondary STAB, being able to deal damage to grass types.

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Salamence @

Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk

Draco Meteor

Fire Blast

Roost

Defog

Salamence is my third Intimidate user, and also my defog user. LO Draco hits surprisingly hard, Fire Blast is for Steel type. Defog is absolutely neccesary for the team, and Roost is for staying alive. Mence is my primary Fighting resist as Whimsi and Gyara aren't that bulky. I'm running a special set because 1. I don't need another DD user 2. He is my primary switch in to Entei as both Krook and Gyara hate getting burned.
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Threatlist (Will be updated once I play more games)

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Playing with mon = 50-50. My resist to sacred fire include Gyara, Krook, Mence, Doom. It doesn't sound too bad, but 3/4 of the mons I stated will die to Band Edge and the last one hate burns. Everytime this mon is sent in, I have to make a prediction. (Since when did this have a switch in)

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Bulky Water Ground is a problem, normally I rely on Toxicroak to counter bulky waters, but these mons can just ohko it with a EQ. These don't neccesarily do much damage, but are annoying to take down and can spread around status and hazards.

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No switch ins. Toxicroak can't switch into 2 Moonblasts. So I have to predict the moment he goes for Protect/Toxic/Wish, and then go out into Croak.

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This thing is so annoying. Superpower KO Doom and Krook. Ice coverage takes out Whimsi and Mence. EQ destroys Croak. I have to keep Gyarados healthy throughout the match to counter this beast and always make sure hazards are off my field.

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Outspeeds my entire team. Best bet is to para it with Whimsicott. Otherwise can wreak havoc if it has aqua tail.

Replays​

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-357046168 LO mence cleans up

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358246017 Really close match vs Bad_Vegan

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http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358492710 vs BadRapSample, a fun match where it could have gone either way

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http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358248989 Playing around with Intimidate won me the game

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358406452 Power of Toxicroak

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-359724871 vs TSR It all came down to rolls

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-358441187 Protect on Doom and a risky prediction saving me

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-359715645 vs Threw☭ Choked at the end, but managed to pull out a W

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Importables

Ver 1: http://pastebin.com/pv20QXeu

Ver 2: http://pastebin.com/RutjyBcY​

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Hey, awesome team you have there! I would, however, make one major change: Replace Krokodile for Crawdaunt as a wallbreaker
The set is as follows:

Crawdaunt @ Choice Band.
EVs: 252 attack, 252 speed, 4 sp. defence.
Adamant Nature.
-- Aqua Jet.
-- Crabhammer.
-- Knock Off.
-- Aerial Ace/Superpower/Crunch.

I feel that powerful priority on your team in the form of aqua jet would benefit your team greatly. In addition, it can completely deal with mamoswine 1v1 and Florges if it gets in safely (the former dies to aqua jet, the latter dies to Crabhammer in one hit). Aerial ace is used to hit chestnaught and toxicroak; crunch is to hit suicune harder after its item has been knocked off; and superpower is to hit Hydreigon on the switch. In general, Crawdaunt is a breaker wallbreaker compared to Krokodile, and given the volt-turn support your team has, it has ample opportunities to get in safely.

 

[Vapo]

Hey GeniusX, welcome to Smogon! There have been a ton of great suggestions made to help improve your team, but I'd like to throw in my opinion as well to hopefully further optimize your squad's effectiveness. These suggestions are going to be mainly geared towards Version One of your team.

First off, I'd like to suggest a set change for Tentacruel. I'm a big fan of fast Tentacruel, as it lures and KOs a bunch of huge threats in the current UU metagame (think Mamoswine, Krookodile, Salamence, etc). However, your current moveset doesn't fully capitalize on this speed advantage, as Scald's low base power prevents it from scoring notable KOs, and the lack of Ice Beam leaves you vulnerable to Salamence and Hydreigon. Since your team is quite offensive, I don't see Toxic Spikes being a necessity, as defensive builds tend to benefit more from the residual damage, so I think replacing that with Ice Beam would be a nice change to allow you to hit Salamence, Hydreigon, Roserade, and Shaymin, among others. I would also suggest you change Scald to Hydro Pump, as the base power increase allows you to OHKO Mamoswine and Krookodile, a feat Scald cannot accomplish. In fact, Hydro Pump is slightly overkill on the aforementioned pokemon. Since max special attack is not necessary to net the KOs fast Tentacruel is intended to get, you can change your spread to a slightly bulkier 48 HP / 208 SpA / 252 Spe Timid spread. With 208 SpA, you are guaranteed the OHKO on Mamoswine, Krookodile, and Salamence and do not lose out on the ability to 2HKO Hydreigon, Roserade, and Shaymin.

I think Salamence is a cool addition to you team. However, it really doesn't help with the Mamoswine matchup, which already beats half of your team 1v1 and has no switch-ins. Because of our vulnerability to Mamoswine, I'd like to suggest switching your item from Lum to Yache Berry. While the absense of Lum makes you were susceptible to status from the likes of Sableye, Porygon2, and other defensive pokemon, I believe you have enough counter play to justify the switch. You have an excellent Will-o-Wisp (and general Sableye) switch-in in Houndoom, which can benefit from the Flash Fire boost if non mega. Krookodile is immune to electric moves and has access to an extremely punishing Knock Off, meaning it can easily switch into a predicted Thunder Wave and remove something's item or get up rocks. Yache Berry allows you to tank an Ice Shard from Mamoswine, which would otherwise stop your sweep cold in its tracks. It also lets you play a bit more aggressively around Poryon2 and other defensive pokemon with ice coverage, as you can take an Ice Beam and 2HKO back with a boosted move. I also suggest you change the nature to Jolly to allow you to take full advantage of the 100 speed tier (outspeed and KO Lucario, Entei, etc) and prevent Scarf Hydreigon from revenge killing you at +1.

Not original suggestions, but I'd like to strongly recommend taking the advice of some of the other raters and switching your Krookodile set to Black Glasses Stealth Rocks, and your Toxicroak set to bulky SD. All good teams need Stealth Rocks, and Krookodile is one of the best setters with its good speed tier, fantastic offensive typing, and utility in Intimidate. Bulky Toxicroak vastly improves your matchup versus Florges, as it can survive two unboosted Moonblasts and easily KO back.

With those suggestions in mind, I believe you have a pretty solid team that'll perform well in the current meta. I hope you give my suggestions a shot! Thanks for reading, and good luck with everything.

Sets

Tentacruel @ Black Sludge
Ability: Clear Body
EVs: 48 HP / 208 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Hydro Pump
- Acid Spray
- Ice Beam
- Rapid Spin

Salamence @ Yache Berry
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Outrage
- Earthquake
- Iron Tail
- Dragon Dance

Krookodile @ Black Glasses
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Knock Off
- Pursuit
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock

Toxicroak @ Black Sludge
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gunk Shot
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch

 

[GeniusX]

Thanks for the rates, Panther5001 and Vapo! I tested most of these suggestions on the ladder just right now and here are some of the thoughts of the rates!

Crawdaunt > Krookodile

I like this suggestion, but unfortunately I probably wouldn't implement it to Ver 1 of the team. However, I'm yet still undecided on whether to change it on Ver 2 or not. I like the priority provided by this crab and being able to 1v1 florges and mamo (considering not choice locked), but I do miss the ability to pursuit and have a nice ground stab on the team. I also king of miss the intimidate as i normally can play around with switches. I have yet come to a final decision but will add it to my RMT!

Tenta Set

I really like this tenta spread as it provides a faster spinner and the ability to ko mamo and krook. TSpikes isn't missed that much as it didn't really come into use at all. This change will definitely be added to the RMT.

Yache > Lum on Mence

This change I feel like is very situational, but can come in handy. I might put is as a slash because I think it all comes down to personal preferences. It's true i'm forced to sack a mon against mamo and have limited switch ins, but I have been able to play around it so far. Yache will definetly help my matchup vs mamo and i find it on equal footage. I will put in into the RMT to let so people have a alternate choice.

EDIT: Yache helps a lot vs Mamo as it's not expected, but you have a much harder time vs stall.

Thanks again for everyone who rated my team!