s/o Accel for the amazing banner <3
Welcome back,
one of the most rewarding things about Pokémon for me is exploring new routes in building and subsequently seeing them pay off. Part of the reason why I enjoy DPP UU so much is that it really is the perfect environment for this type of experimentation. If you put in some effort, you can make almost anything work and will still be able to genuinely contend with established metagame mainstays. And while some creations will inevitably fall flat, this room for innovation keeps the tier fresh. In the following, I'll detail an instance of building that's left me wholly satisfied with what I had created - despite some of the shortcomings it may have.
Teambuilding Process:
The team started off as an attempt to enable RP Aggron the best I could. Little in this tier hits as hard on the physical side as its Head Smash does and while building with it is admittedly a challenge, I was convinced proper support would allow it to shine. I do like a challenge, after all.
Since Aggron is hardly a "safe" Normal and Flying resist with Dugtrio looming around every corner and every Normal type is packing some form of coverage anyway, bulky Colbur Berry Rotom with dual status was the very first partner I singled out for it. Pretty much every other resist to the aforementioned types available in UU would stack too many weaknesses in the grand scheme of things. Rotom supports Aggron with Thunder-Wave and patches up the weakness to threats such as Swellow and Ambipom - to some degree. More on this later.
Another shortcoming of Aggron's typing is that it's neither a real Steel nor a real Rock type. Its match-up against Fire types, for example, is quite disappointing considering that Fire type moves aren't even super effective against it. Thankfully, Azumarill is here to save the day with respectable bulk and strong priority. The water bunny is tasked with pummeling walls so that Aggron has an easier time cleaning later on.
Venusaur glues this otherwise goofy-looking assortment together. Water and Grass resist, Toxic immunity, progress maker. All in all, an easy fit.
Enter the pincher. He punishes Uxie, throws up Rocks, and can unexpectedly flip the table on some lead match-ups, which will help put momentum in your favour right from the start - what else could you possibly want from a lead?
I'll be honest, I very much dislike slapping on Scarf Houndoom on teams without hazard control but it really seemed the only natural choice for a last here. The weakness to Ghosts, particularly Mismagius, was too glaring to ignore. Don't get me wrong, from a typing-perspective it fits this team brilliantly - it's just that I think Houndoom is held back by the item Choice Scarf a lot when it has access to so many other, more valuable options that would allow it to apply some actual pressure. Alas, Choice Scarf grants Houndoom the ability to pick off threats such as RP Torterra and Alakazam and that is exactly what's needed here.
The Team:
Stay Down (Pinsir) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Mold Breaker
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- X-Scissor
- Earthquake
- Rock Tomb
Pinsir matches up excellently against the most reliable lead in the tier, Uxie, denting even fully physically defensive versions for half of their health on turn one, which is essential to prevent Aggron from catching a Thunder Wave once boosted, and setting up coveted Stealth Rocks the following turn. Furthermore, it limits Omastar and Qwilfish to one layer of hazards, which is a quality every good lead should possess and that is especially important on teams lacking hazard removal - such as this one. Focus Sash allows Pinsir to trade against many leads that it doesn't immediately match-up well against on the basis of type-advantage alone. Scyther and Moltres risk getting OHKOed by Rock coverage and are thus forced to U-turn or pray for a flinch respectively. Between Bug STAB and EdgeQuake coverage, Pinsir is surprisingly obnoxious to switch into and can deal a fair amount of damage at the start of the game. Head over to my post over at the viability rankings for more on Pinsir.
Bite The Hand (Aggron) @ Life Orb
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Ice Punch
- Head Smash
- Low Kick
- Rock Polish
Aggron actually has an impressively deep movepool - it just sucks that many of its moves are borderline unusable because of its horrible special attack. Anyhow, this set is fairly standard, except that it drops Aqua Tail, which I find has too few applications. I've seen people opt for Magnet Rise alongside Rock Polish to invalidate Donphan as a check entirely, which is intriguing because this team doesn't do that great a job at weakening it - with the possible execption of a surprise WoW from Rotom. However, Ice Punch still holds value as a means to snipe Torterra and makes you not rely on Head Smash too much versus levitating targets once boosted. Speaking of boosts, I much prefer Jolly > Adamant on RP Aggron to be able to overwhelm Milotic more easily and to get the jump on various Scarfers such as Venusaur and Blaziken. Overall, I can report that Aggron is definitely a fun pick, but I'll warn you - pay up your monthly increased accuracy PS tariff now, or you'll regret it later.
Souvenir (Rotom) @ Colbur Berry
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 8 HP / 144 Def / 104 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Will-O-Wisp
- Thunder Wave
Dual status move Colbur Rotom is the most consistently effective lure that I have ever used in Pokémon and that is not an exaggeration. On this team, it's the dedicated Normal and Flying resist because Aggon can unfortunately not be trusted with this job alone, so I decided to invest into its bulk a little more than I usually do. The defense EVs help against Swellow (don't expect too much though) and with Pursuit rolls from the various Dark types that roam the tier. Crippling a Houndoom for example goes a long way for this team. Furthermore, Rotom ensures rocks stay up throughout, ideally, the entirety of the game. Pinsir is great at setting them up at the very beginning of the game but will likely be sacrificed early to avoid too much damage on other members. You could honestly drop Shadow Ball in favour of something such as HP Ice for a little more damage vs Venusaur and Ground types but it also helps keeping up the illusion of a Choice Scarf set.
Ketchum, ID (Venusaur) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 168 HP / 20 Def / 144 SpA / 176 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Synthesis
- Sleep Powder
What can I say, he holds the team together, he really does. Invaluable Water, Fighting and Grass resist that will never be useless in any game. Putting Registeel to sleep is very much appreciated by Azumarill in particular because it creates an opportunity for setting up a Substitute without having to risk catching a status condition on switch-in. I'm considering switching Venusaur to a more specially defensive version to fend off the likes off Sceptile and opposing Venusaur better but as of right now I'm still content with the bulk that I do have, and I do value the damage it is capable of doing. 140 BP STAB moves are sex. Not much else to say really, Venusaur does Venusaur things, you all know the drill.
Me & My Dog (Houndoom) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Early Bird
EVs: 84 Atk / 172 SpA / 252 Spe
Hasty Nature
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Pursuit
- Overheat
Early Bird > Flash Fire on this one because Venusaur can be a gigantic bitch and sniping it with a turn zero wake Overheat has proven valuable in the most dire of situations. I will say though, you usually sack Pinsir to Sleep Powder so Flash Fire is still worthy of consideration. HP Rock is admittedly very situational and has only come up once for me against a SubTox Moltres but it did win me that game, so I opted to keep it. Punishment is a cool tech that helps vs CM Uxie and is what I will eventually replace HP Rock with probably. At one point I even wished I had HP Ice because I ran into a Dragon Dance Altaria of all things but since that's a dead slot in every other match-up, I think you probably just take that loss. Other than those, I suppose HP Grass deserves a mention to overwhelm Rhyperior and damage Water types for a little more than Dark Pulse does. You can put Fire Blast > Overheat last if you dislike the drops. However, I've found that Houndoom barely ever sweeps with its Fire move and since Scarfers are generally utilized more as hit-and-runners, I advise you at least try Overheat - I failed to OHKO a Venusaur with Fire Blast once and it made me incredibly sad for the rest of the day. Again, 140 BP STAB moves are sex.
Salt In The Wound (Azumarill) @ Leftovers
Ability: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Waterfall
- Focus Punch
- Aqua Jet
- Substitute
This used to be an all-out attacking set with Double-Edge and Superpower to not be as helpless against Venusaur. I go back and forth between the two - another idea is to replace Waterfall with Ice Punch and snipe Venusaur that way but the lack of a real STAB move is disappointing in a lot of scenarios. Still, should you not face Venusaur or have it paralyzed, SubPunch Azumarill is arguably the best fit for this team. It pressures what Aggron wants weakened the most: Milotic and Registeel. While it is sometimes unavoidable, I don't recommened going hard into Azumarill on every Fire Blast that's coming your way - especially when using SubPunch. A carefully timed Substitute can be game-defining and conserving your health is essential for that endeavour.
Threats:
Be smart with whom you sacrifice to sleep and use your own Venu to bounce Leaf Storm. Paralyse it with Rotom if you get the opportunity.
Just get rocks, it dies. On a serious note, sets with Roost can be a threat but as long you keep Azu for Aqua Jet you should be okay.
Don't ever let this SD on you in rain. Venu takes a Stone Edge after rocks but I advise keeping it healthy for Ludi. Use Azu to sponge the Edge.Replays:
#1 - vs watashi for UUSD Week 4
#2 - vs PandaDoux for RoA tour I believe
#3 - vs Amukamara in a friendly
ill add more if i find the time
s/o barclay as usual o7
also shoutout to my good friend Tomahawk who always has an open ear for my ramblings about this tier