I made this team months ago when I started playing showdown tourneys. I wanted to make a solid competitive team since most teams I make are loosely thrown together when I want to try out a particular mon; I rely on my skill to win most games rather than taking the time to actually build a competent team. In the 3 tourneys I've entered it in, this team made it to the finals once and won the whole tourney the next 2 times. I've also played 26 games on the ladder and have only lost once, but everyone knows that the UU ladder is not that challenging anyway if you're a good player.
Teambuilding Process:
Onto the individual sets...
@ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
More than often I lead with this mon unless I see a Mega Aero on the other team, in which case I'll usually lead with Amphy. I've never been a fan of running a more defensive bat. You really should only be switching in on grass, fighting and ground attacks, all of which don't phase Crobat at all. It's best to slam things hard with Brave Bird when you can and U-Turn out when you are not in a favorable matchup. I don't find myself using Defog every match because only Crobat is weak to SR in the first place, and usually when I get a free turn it is best to U-Turn and annihilate something with Heracross. However, it has come in handy against sticky web teams, since Krook cannot trap things like Chandelure unless Krook is at full health when it has -1 speed. 184 Speed EVs outpaces Mega Pidgeot and the remaining EVs were dumped into HP.
One of the few mons this team has trouble defeating is Florges, so Cross Poison can be used over Defog if you feel the need to do so. However, Empoleon can Toxic Florges/Roar out Calm Mind variants, which helps wear it down to put it into 2HKO range from Hera's Close Combat. Overall, though, Defog is superior the majority of the time.
@ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse
Ampharos excels at luring in mons that Heracross easily takes out, such as Registeel, Zong, Cress, Lax, Blissey etc. Due to its unique typing and strong SpA even without any investment, Amphy can switch in, deal some damage, and grab some momentum pretty easily. The EVs allow for maximum physical bulk to better take on some of the top threats in UU. Adamant Mega Beedrill only 3HKOs with Drill Run/Poison Jab, and even with SR on my side of the field, the Bee only has an 18% chance to 2HKO. If the Bee is Jolly, it cannot ever 2HKO after rocks! Jolly Scarf Cross only deals 37% on average with Close Combat, and Jolly Life Orb Mamoswine only KOs 25% of the time after Rocks with EQ, while you take it out first if you catch it on the switch with Dragon Pulse, which deals 73% on average.
Another cool thing about Ampharos is that it is not difficult to switch it in when it is still in its base form due to the electric attacks that Vaporeon and Empoleon bait out, along with the flying attacks that Heracross attracts.
@ Choice Band
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
One of the most powerful attackers in UU due to its incredibly strong STABs and great attack stat, Heracross eats many UU teams alive. What's fun about Heracross is how most teams only have a Crobat or Mence to "counter" it. Stealth Rock paired with a well-timed Stone Edge makes quick work of these mons, leaving Heracross to spam Close Combat all day long. If you know you are going up against a smart opponent, you can assume that they likely wont switch in their flying mon right away, especially if rocks are up, and you can usually get an easy early game kill on their own Empoleon or whatever anticipating a Stone Edge. Even if you mispredict and launch a Close Combat right into a Moltres, or a Megahorn into a Mega Pidgeot, by team handles these sorts of mons quite well. Amphy can steal the momentum right back by switching into a Mega Pidgeot's Hurricane or Moltres' Fire Blast/Hurricane and Volt Switching out.
I enjoy using Jolly Cross to land hits on Jolly Mamoswine and Gatr before they maim you first, as well as other less common mons like Adamant Haxorus. You can use Adamant if you wish, but I've always appreciated the extra speed over a little more firepower. Cross 2HKOs basically everything after Rocks and using Adamant isn't going to help you beat Florges or Weezing anyway.
@ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 204 HP / 248 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Roar
- Wish
- Protect
Bold > Calm since I get raped by Krook and other grounds if I focus too much on SpD. Vaporeon is a good check to the Nidos with this current spread anyway. Vaporeon forms a fantastic core with Empoleon that puts a stop to a wide range of threats. If anyone has not tried a double water defensive core in UU, by the way, give it a shot. Since each bulky water has its own problems, utilizing them by themselves leaves you open to quite a few threats. If only using Empoleon, it's tough for this team to switch in on Rhyperior and Mamoswine. If you only use Vaporeon, it's challenging to work around Nidos paired with Gatr etc. I'm using Roar so I don't get stampeded by Sub Gatr, but it's also good for phasing out Suicune and being a general nuisance. Roaring out Mega Snow is also fun when you have Rocks up.
@ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Scald
- Roar/Grass Knot
I cannot remember if I took these EVs from somewhere or if I made them myself. Since this team has slight Mence problems, the 88 Def EVs allow Empoleon to never be OHKOd by Jolly Life Orb Mence's EQ after Stealth Rock. Adamant Mence does have 56% chance to OHKO after Rocks, however. Grass Knot and Roar are interchangeable since Vaporeon also has Roar. Grass Knot is cool for catching Mega Pert off guard when trying to set up since this team has no other grass attacks, but Roar racks up the hazard damage and phases out problematic set up mons like Belly Drum Slurpuff since Scald cannot KO after Rocks + BD + Sitrus. Empoleon's usefulness is strange, as sometimes it will counter half the enemy team, but other times it really doesn't serve much purpose. Empoleon in general is great for countering/checking lots of odd balls that some people build teams around like Yanmega, Rain Dance Kingdra, and P-Z, and therefore its usefulness cannot be understated.
@ Black Glasses
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
Krook has one of the highest utility values in UU in my opinion. It is naturally bulky with Intimidate, which makes it a great pivot. It is also an excellent lure with Blackglasses, which greatly helps when dealing with heavy stall. If the other team has a solid Hera counter and a Blissey, bluffing a choice item on Krook by using Pursuit when their Blissey uses Protect allows you to blast it with Knock Off the next turn. This greatly reduces the pressure on keeping Heracross alive, and it also makes wearing these kinds of teams down much simpler. Max Speed is a must in order to ease this team's issues with SD Lucario. +1 E-Speed maxes out at 71% while EQ easily OHKOs in return. If you wish, you can slap Stone Edge on over Rocks to help Krook deal with Mega Aero and Mence easier and use Rocks on Empoleon, but Empoleon has bad 4MSS. It's a give and take so use what you wish.
Threatlist:
Lucario - If it sets up and Krook is dead, quite a few things are going down. Luckily, it cannot actually set up on anything except Heracross locked into something that is not Close Combat without taking a huge chunk of damage or being Roared out. Of course, if you see a Lucario on the enemy team, don't go throwing around Knock Offs and Megahorns until it is severely weakened. Ampharos can eat a +1 Close Combat after Rocks if Krook is too worn down to take an E-Speed, and Crobat can take a +1 E-Speed if it is healthy, but definitely play carefully around this thing.
Machamp - Comes in on Empoleon pretty easily barring a Scald Burn (even so I've encountered Guts variants with Close Combat) and I have to predict perfectly or lose a mon.
Defensive Florges - Hard to break, but it cannot do much to Empoleon. Luckily it cannot have Aromatherapy, Moonblast, Calm Mind, Toxic, Psychic, Wish and Protect. Find out what moves it has and exploit it with Empoleon's Toxic + Crobat's U-Turn.
Importable:
Teambuilding Process:
I cannot remember exactly how I made this team step by step, but it started with the idea of pairing Choice Band Heracross' wall-breaking power with Mega Ampharos and Crobat, who can Volt Switch and U-Turn on their common switchins (Blissey, Umbreon, Snorlax, Rocks and Steels etc.) that Heracross destroys.
From here I thought of what gives this core trouble. I knew that Ghosts like Chandelure would be a pain, as would top tier mons like Mence, Hydreigon and the Nidos. I also needed Rocks at this point. To trap problematic ghosts and set up rocks, Krookodile was added.
Vaporeon was added next due to its ability to counter some similar mons that Amphy does (which eases the pressure on Amphy since it gets worn down quick switching into every offensive fire and water type). Vaporeon also has good synergy with Heracross due to its ability to pass it wishes that come close to fully healing it when mons like Roserade and Shaymin switch in on Vaporeon. I added Empoleon last because I still saw a weakness to dragons. Steels offer great resistances and utility in UU because they can pivot on draco meteors and returns from mons like Hydreigon and Snorlax.
From here I thought of what gives this core trouble. I knew that Ghosts like Chandelure would be a pain, as would top tier mons like Mence, Hydreigon and the Nidos. I also needed Rocks at this point. To trap problematic ghosts and set up rocks, Krookodile was added.
Vaporeon was added next due to its ability to counter some similar mons that Amphy does (which eases the pressure on Amphy since it gets worn down quick switching into every offensive fire and water type). Vaporeon also has good synergy with Heracross due to its ability to pass it wishes that come close to fully healing it when mons like Roserade and Shaymin switch in on Vaporeon. I added Empoleon last because I still saw a weakness to dragons. Steels offer great resistances and utility in UU because they can pivot on draco meteors and returns from mons like Hydreigon and Snorlax.
Onto the individual sets...
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
More than often I lead with this mon unless I see a Mega Aero on the other team, in which case I'll usually lead with Amphy. I've never been a fan of running a more defensive bat. You really should only be switching in on grass, fighting and ground attacks, all of which don't phase Crobat at all. It's best to slam things hard with Brave Bird when you can and U-Turn out when you are not in a favorable matchup. I don't find myself using Defog every match because only Crobat is weak to SR in the first place, and usually when I get a free turn it is best to U-Turn and annihilate something with Heracross. However, it has come in handy against sticky web teams, since Krook cannot trap things like Chandelure unless Krook is at full health when it has -1 speed. 184 Speed EVs outpaces Mega Pidgeot and the remaining EVs were dumped into HP.
One of the few mons this team has trouble defeating is Florges, so Cross Poison can be used over Defog if you feel the need to do so. However, Empoleon can Toxic Florges/Roar out Calm Mind variants, which helps wear it down to put it into 2HKO range from Hera's Close Combat. Overall, though, Defog is superior the majority of the time.
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse
Ampharos excels at luring in mons that Heracross easily takes out, such as Registeel, Zong, Cress, Lax, Blissey etc. Due to its unique typing and strong SpA even without any investment, Amphy can switch in, deal some damage, and grab some momentum pretty easily. The EVs allow for maximum physical bulk to better take on some of the top threats in UU. Adamant Mega Beedrill only 3HKOs with Drill Run/Poison Jab, and even with SR on my side of the field, the Bee only has an 18% chance to 2HKO. If the Bee is Jolly, it cannot ever 2HKO after rocks! Jolly Scarf Cross only deals 37% on average with Close Combat, and Jolly Life Orb Mamoswine only KOs 25% of the time after Rocks with EQ, while you take it out first if you catch it on the switch with Dragon Pulse, which deals 73% on average.
Another cool thing about Ampharos is that it is not difficult to switch it in when it is still in its base form due to the electric attacks that Vaporeon and Empoleon bait out, along with the flying attacks that Heracross attracts.
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
One of the most powerful attackers in UU due to its incredibly strong STABs and great attack stat, Heracross eats many UU teams alive. What's fun about Heracross is how most teams only have a Crobat or Mence to "counter" it. Stealth Rock paired with a well-timed Stone Edge makes quick work of these mons, leaving Heracross to spam Close Combat all day long. If you know you are going up against a smart opponent, you can assume that they likely wont switch in their flying mon right away, especially if rocks are up, and you can usually get an easy early game kill on their own Empoleon or whatever anticipating a Stone Edge. Even if you mispredict and launch a Close Combat right into a Moltres, or a Megahorn into a Mega Pidgeot, by team handles these sorts of mons quite well. Amphy can steal the momentum right back by switching into a Mega Pidgeot's Hurricane or Moltres' Fire Blast/Hurricane and Volt Switching out.
I enjoy using Jolly Cross to land hits on Jolly Mamoswine and Gatr before they maim you first, as well as other less common mons like Adamant Haxorus. You can use Adamant if you wish, but I've always appreciated the extra speed over a little more firepower. Cross 2HKOs basically everything after Rocks and using Adamant isn't going to help you beat Florges or Weezing anyway.
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 204 HP / 248 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Roar
- Wish
- Protect
Bold > Calm since I get raped by Krook and other grounds if I focus too much on SpD. Vaporeon is a good check to the Nidos with this current spread anyway. Vaporeon forms a fantastic core with Empoleon that puts a stop to a wide range of threats. If anyone has not tried a double water defensive core in UU, by the way, give it a shot. Since each bulky water has its own problems, utilizing them by themselves leaves you open to quite a few threats. If only using Empoleon, it's tough for this team to switch in on Rhyperior and Mamoswine. If you only use Vaporeon, it's challenging to work around Nidos paired with Gatr etc. I'm using Roar so I don't get stampeded by Sub Gatr, but it's also good for phasing out Suicune and being a general nuisance. Roaring out Mega Snow is also fun when you have Rocks up.
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Scald
- Roar/Grass Knot
I cannot remember if I took these EVs from somewhere or if I made them myself. Since this team has slight Mence problems, the 88 Def EVs allow Empoleon to never be OHKOd by Jolly Life Orb Mence's EQ after Stealth Rock. Adamant Mence does have 56% chance to OHKO after Rocks, however. Grass Knot and Roar are interchangeable since Vaporeon also has Roar. Grass Knot is cool for catching Mega Pert off guard when trying to set up since this team has no other grass attacks, but Roar racks up the hazard damage and phases out problematic set up mons like Belly Drum Slurpuff since Scald cannot KO after Rocks + BD + Sitrus. Empoleon's usefulness is strange, as sometimes it will counter half the enemy team, but other times it really doesn't serve much purpose. Empoleon in general is great for countering/checking lots of odd balls that some people build teams around like Yanmega, Rain Dance Kingdra, and P-Z, and therefore its usefulness cannot be understated.
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
Krook has one of the highest utility values in UU in my opinion. It is naturally bulky with Intimidate, which makes it a great pivot. It is also an excellent lure with Blackglasses, which greatly helps when dealing with heavy stall. If the other team has a solid Hera counter and a Blissey, bluffing a choice item on Krook by using Pursuit when their Blissey uses Protect allows you to blast it with Knock Off the next turn. This greatly reduces the pressure on keeping Heracross alive, and it also makes wearing these kinds of teams down much simpler. Max Speed is a must in order to ease this team's issues with SD Lucario. +1 E-Speed maxes out at 71% while EQ easily OHKOs in return. If you wish, you can slap Stone Edge on over Rocks to help Krook deal with Mega Aero and Mence easier and use Rocks on Empoleon, but Empoleon has bad 4MSS. It's a give and take so use what you wish.
Threatlist:
Lucario - If it sets up and Krook is dead, quite a few things are going down. Luckily, it cannot actually set up on anything except Heracross locked into something that is not Close Combat without taking a huge chunk of damage or being Roared out. Of course, if you see a Lucario on the enemy team, don't go throwing around Knock Offs and Megahorns until it is severely weakened. Ampharos can eat a +1 Close Combat after Rocks if Krook is too worn down to take an E-Speed, and Crobat can take a +1 E-Speed if it is healthy, but definitely play carefully around this thing.
Machamp - Comes in on Empoleon pretty easily barring a Scald Burn (even so I've encountered Guts variants with Close Combat) and I have to predict perfectly or lose a mon.
Defensive Florges - Hard to break, but it cannot do much to Empoleon. Luckily it cannot have Aromatherapy, Moonblast, Calm Mind, Toxic, Psychic, Wish and Protect. Find out what moves it has and exploit it with Empoleon's Toxic + Crobat's U-Turn.
Importable:
Empoleon @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Scald
- Roar
Crobat @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse
Heracross @ Choice Band
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 204 HP / 248 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Roar
- Wish
- Protect
Krookodile @ Black Glasses
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Calm Nature
- Ice Beam
- Toxic
- Scald
- Roar
Crobat @ Leftovers
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 72 HP / 252 Atk / 184 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Defog
- Roost
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
Ampharos @ Ampharosite
Ability: Static
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Volt Switch
- Dragon Pulse
Heracross @ Choice Band
Ability: Guts
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Close Combat
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
Vaporeon @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 204 HP / 248 Def / 56 SpD
Bold Nature
- Scald
- Roar
- Wish
- Protect
Krookodile @ Black Glasses
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Knock Off
- Earthquake
- Pursuit
