I've been playing with this team on Showdown for a while now, and I think it's pretty good, one of the better Pokemon Team I have made. I'd like to share it to see what kind of suggestions the community offers and also to let people know how FREAKING AWESOME Curse Snorlax is.
The point of this team is to play defensive until an opening presents itself for any of Snorlax, Kingdra, or Durant to sweep. Blastoise and Bronzong carry Toxic to wear down walls, plus the support of Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock, respectively. Chandelure is there to set up subs against things that it would scare out and then score a free hit on whatever switched in.
Blastoise @Leftovers
252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpDef, Bold (+Def, -Atk)
Ability: Torrent
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Roar
- Toxic
Blastoise is the Rapid Spin supporter, crucial for Chandelure to keep switching in and out, plus keeping the rest of my Pokemon relatively healthy. It is also a general physical wall that can take hit fairly well. Toxic is for wearing down walls while Roar is for stopping Pokemon that would like to set up.
Snorlax @ Leftovers
188 HP, 104 Def, 216 SpDef, Careful (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
Ability: Thick Fat
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Rest
Snorlax is the Pokemon that gets the most sweeps on my team. After 2 Curses, nothing in UU can OHKO it save a Reckless Adamant Choice Band Hi Jump Kick from Mienshao. The basic point of Snorlax is to switch in on a special attacker that doesn't threaten it (e.g. Chandelure) and either curse once or try to hit Heracross on the switch in. If they stay in on the first Curse, Curse again and win. The only thing that can stop Snorlax at 2 Curses is Empoleon with Roar. I really like switching in against Spikes Roserade or Froslass, because a lot of players stay in thinking they can get up more spikes. When your health gets low, rest. Staying in for the 2 turns to wake up usually isn't a problem.
Naturally, a good player will not give you the free turn to Curse twice (although you would be surprised by how many do), but that doesn't mean Snorlax can't still do work. It takes special moves without a problem and forces switches like nothing else can.
Durant @ Lum Berry
4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Speed, Jolly (+Speed, -SpAtk)
Ability: Hustle
- Hone Claws
- Superpower
- X-Scissor
- Rock Slide
Durant is the speedy one. Jolly with base 109 speed means that it is outsped by only 8 UU Pokemon, and it only fears 3 of them (Tornadus, Raikou and Azelf). So long as you figure out what's wearing a scarf on your opponent's team, Durant can wreck faces. Lum berry is the item of choice because it allows Durant to soak up a Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave while it sets up a Hone Claws to sweep. It doesn't need a Life Orb or other boosting item because it already has incredible attack. With Hustle, Durant's attack reaches the highest of any unboosted Pokemon (Higher even than Deoxys-A). The three attacking moves listed give it the best coverage (It hits everything except for the Nidos and Golurk at least Neutrally).
Bronzong @ Leftovers
252 HP, 4 Atk, 252 SpDef, Sassy (+SpDef, -Speed)
Ability: Levitate
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
- Earthquake
Bronzong is my most common lead, so I can get up Stealth Rock right away. Toxic is for walls, Gyro Ball is for lead Crobat and general fast Pokemon. Earthquake hits Chandelure, Raikou, Empoleon, Victini, etc. Pretty basic support Pokemon. Depending on its usefulness, I might let it die early on to guarantee SR gets up.
Chandelure @ Leftovers
252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Speed, Modest (+SpAtk, -Atk)
Ability: Flash Fire
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Substitute
Considering how common choiced Chandelure is, it is fairly easy to fake out your opponent and set up a free substitute. After that, Fire Blast / Shadow Ball hit extremely hard and Energy Ball hurts most Water, Ground, and Rock types that threaten it. Some people might say HP Fighting is better, but the things that it would be useful against (Snorlax, P2, Empoleon) are too bulky to really care. Chandelure also makes opponents wary of using fire moves against Durant and Bronzong and Hi Jump Kick against Snorlax. 4 SpDef ensures tank P2 does not get SpAtk Boost.
Kingdra @ Leftovers
252 Atk, 4 SpDef, 252 Speed, Adamant (+Atk, -SpAtk)
Ability: Swift Swim
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Substitute
Kingdra is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous Pokemon in UU. After a few Dragon Dances, it outspeeds everything and deals massive damage. Empoleon is the only UU Pokemon that resists its dual STAB. Substitute protects it from toxic and burn, which it does not like. Unfortunately, its x4 resistance to water is hindered by the fact that Scald has a 30% chance to burn. It is tricky getting Kingdra in, but once you do, it can wreck teams.
THREATS:
The most notable threat to this team that I have discovered so far is Empoleon, as you might have inferred from my numerous mentions above. The combination of Scald and Roar with its great special bulk means that none of my Pokemon can safely switch in and threaten it. Kingdra and Blastoise can't touch it, Chandelure cannot OHKO and risks dying to Scald, and Blastoise will be unable to set up. If I can get Durant in safely, I can take it down with Superpower, but doing so is extremely difficult.
Other threats include a Porygon2/Sableye defensive core, which can be frustrating to deal with due to taunt shutting down Snorlax and keeping me from using Toxic. I have found that good switching and scaring out Sableye with Chandelure can allow me to put a stop to them, although it isn't trivial.
Virizion and Cobalion can be dangerous because Sacred Sword bypasses defense boosts, making them good counters to CurseLax.
Even though I carry no scarfed Pokemon, I don't have too much trouble against them because between Bronzong, Blastoise, Chandelure, and Snorlax, I will almost certainly have something to switch into a scarfed attack.
I started out with relatively little experience in UU, and wanted to try out some of the powerful UU Pokemon that I liked:
To fill in the defensive gaps and give my team hazards, I added Bronzong.
Finally, I wanted a physical attacker that was fast and powerful without needing many turns to set up. I dredged up Durant from BL2, which outsped most of UU naturally while having great typing, offensive power, and synergy with Chandelure.
I tested out my team to minimal success. From there, I tweaked the sets a little. Chandelure's HP Fighting was next to useless, so I got rid of the scarf and gave it substitute in place of Hidden Power. Raikou then went from Life Orb to Scarf, and then to CM+Lefties. One thing was clear from testing, however: the Raikou was next to useless. 90% of the time, it never saw play except for as death fodder, and virtually all of my admittedly few wins did not involve Raikou at all.
It was clear that I had to scrap Raikou and that I needed something to check the likes of Porygon2 and other Raikou. That's when Snorlax stepped in.
Immediately, I began winning. Snorlax took this team's win rate of ~30% and more than doubled it. I am now winning about 2/3 of my games with this team.
To fill in the defensive gaps and give my team hazards, I added Bronzong.
Finally, I wanted a physical attacker that was fast and powerful without needing many turns to set up. I dredged up Durant from BL2, which outsped most of UU naturally while having great typing, offensive power, and synergy with Chandelure.
I tested out my team to minimal success. From there, I tweaked the sets a little. Chandelure's HP Fighting was next to useless, so I got rid of the scarf and gave it substitute in place of Hidden Power. Raikou then went from Life Orb to Scarf, and then to CM+Lefties. One thing was clear from testing, however: the Raikou was next to useless. 90% of the time, it never saw play except for as death fodder, and virtually all of my admittedly few wins did not involve Raikou at all.
It was clear that I had to scrap Raikou and that I needed something to check the likes of Porygon2 and other Raikou. That's when Snorlax stepped in.
Immediately, I began winning. Snorlax took this team's win rate of ~30% and more than doubled it. I am now winning about 2/3 of my games with this team.
The point of this team is to play defensive until an opening presents itself for any of Snorlax, Kingdra, or Durant to sweep. Blastoise and Bronzong carry Toxic to wear down walls, plus the support of Rapid Spin and Stealth Rock, respectively. Chandelure is there to set up subs against things that it would scare out and then score a free hit on whatever switched in.
252 HP, 252 Def, 4 SpDef, Bold (+Def, -Atk)
Ability: Torrent
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Roar
- Toxic
Blastoise is the Rapid Spin supporter, crucial for Chandelure to keep switching in and out, plus keeping the rest of my Pokemon relatively healthy. It is also a general physical wall that can take hit fairly well. Toxic is for wearing down walls while Roar is for stopping Pokemon that would like to set up.
188 HP, 104 Def, 216 SpDef, Careful (+SpDef, -SpAtk)
Ability: Thick Fat
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Rest
Snorlax is the Pokemon that gets the most sweeps on my team. After 2 Curses, nothing in UU can OHKO it save a Reckless Adamant Choice Band Hi Jump Kick from Mienshao. The basic point of Snorlax is to switch in on a special attacker that doesn't threaten it (e.g. Chandelure) and either curse once or try to hit Heracross on the switch in. If they stay in on the first Curse, Curse again and win. The only thing that can stop Snorlax at 2 Curses is Empoleon with Roar. I really like switching in against Spikes Roserade or Froslass, because a lot of players stay in thinking they can get up more spikes. When your health gets low, rest. Staying in for the 2 turns to wake up usually isn't a problem.
Naturally, a good player will not give you the free turn to Curse twice (although you would be surprised by how many do), but that doesn't mean Snorlax can't still do work. It takes special moves without a problem and forces switches like nothing else can.
4 HP, 252 Atk, 252 Speed, Jolly (+Speed, -SpAtk)
Ability: Hustle
- Hone Claws
- Superpower
- X-Scissor
- Rock Slide
Durant is the speedy one. Jolly with base 109 speed means that it is outsped by only 8 UU Pokemon, and it only fears 3 of them (Tornadus, Raikou and Azelf). So long as you figure out what's wearing a scarf on your opponent's team, Durant can wreck faces. Lum berry is the item of choice because it allows Durant to soak up a Will-O-Wisp or Thunder Wave while it sets up a Hone Claws to sweep. It doesn't need a Life Orb or other boosting item because it already has incredible attack. With Hustle, Durant's attack reaches the highest of any unboosted Pokemon (Higher even than Deoxys-A). The three attacking moves listed give it the best coverage (It hits everything except for the Nidos and Golurk at least Neutrally).
252 HP, 4 Atk, 252 SpDef, Sassy (+SpDef, -Speed)
Ability: Levitate
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
- Earthquake
Bronzong is my most common lead, so I can get up Stealth Rock right away. Toxic is for walls, Gyro Ball is for lead Crobat and general fast Pokemon. Earthquake hits Chandelure, Raikou, Empoleon, Victini, etc. Pretty basic support Pokemon. Depending on its usefulness, I might let it die early on to guarantee SR gets up.
252 SpAtk, 4 SpDef, 252 Speed, Modest (+SpAtk, -Atk)
Ability: Flash Fire
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Substitute
Considering how common choiced Chandelure is, it is fairly easy to fake out your opponent and set up a free substitute. After that, Fire Blast / Shadow Ball hit extremely hard and Energy Ball hurts most Water, Ground, and Rock types that threaten it. Some people might say HP Fighting is better, but the things that it would be useful against (Snorlax, P2, Empoleon) are too bulky to really care. Chandelure also makes opponents wary of using fire moves against Durant and Bronzong and Hi Jump Kick against Snorlax. 4 SpDef ensures tank P2 does not get SpAtk Boost.
252 Atk, 4 SpDef, 252 Speed, Adamant (+Atk, -SpAtk)
Ability: Swift Swim
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Substitute
Kingdra is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous Pokemon in UU. After a few Dragon Dances, it outspeeds everything and deals massive damage. Empoleon is the only UU Pokemon that resists its dual STAB. Substitute protects it from toxic and burn, which it does not like. Unfortunately, its x4 resistance to water is hindered by the fact that Scald has a 30% chance to burn. It is tricky getting Kingdra in, but once you do, it can wreck teams.
THREATS:
The most notable threat to this team that I have discovered so far is Empoleon, as you might have inferred from my numerous mentions above. The combination of Scald and Roar with its great special bulk means that none of my Pokemon can safely switch in and threaten it. Kingdra and Blastoise can't touch it, Chandelure cannot OHKO and risks dying to Scald, and Blastoise will be unable to set up. If I can get Durant in safely, I can take it down with Superpower, but doing so is extremely difficult.
Other threats include a Porygon2/Sableye defensive core, which can be frustrating to deal with due to taunt shutting down Snorlax and keeping me from using Toxic. I have found that good switching and scaring out Sableye with Chandelure can allow me to put a stop to them, although it isn't trivial.
Virizion and Cobalion can be dangerous because Sacred Sword bypasses defense boosts, making them good counters to CurseLax.
Even though I carry no scarfed Pokemon, I don't have too much trouble against them because between Bronzong, Blastoise, Chandelure, and Snorlax, I will almost certainly have something to switch into a scarfed attack.
Ra Ra (Blastoise) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Roar
- Toxic
Ah Ah Ah (Snorlax) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Rest
Ro Ma (Durant) (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Hustle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Superpower
- X-Scissor
- Rock Slide
Ro Ma Ma (Bronzong) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
- Earthquake
Ga Ga (Chandelure) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Substitute
Oh La La (Kingdra) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Substitute
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Roar
- Toxic
Ah Ah Ah (Snorlax) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Thick Fat
EVs: 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature
IVs: 30 Atk / 30 Def
- Curse
- Body Slam
- Crunch
- Rest
Ro Ma (Durant) (F) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Hustle
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature
- Hone Claws
- Superpower
- X-Scissor
- Rock Slide
Ro Ma Ma (Bronzong) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 SDef
Sassy Nature
IVs: 0 Spd
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Toxic
- Earthquake
Ga Ga (Chandelure) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Modest Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Energy Ball
- Substitute
Oh La La (Kingdra) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature
- Dragon Dance
- Waterfall
- Outrage
- Substitute