ORAS UU Help with Balanced UU Team?

[Darknight7777]

Hey guys! This is actually the first time that I decided to use a RMT thread, as I always wanted to make a competitive team that works well overall. Sadly, I always seem to have several major holes that I just can't seem to fix. The pokemon I've chosen so far have been extensively tested, however. A set or two might seem a bit off, but all will be explained in its descriptions. I'll try my best to follow the guidelines set for this thread as well, and I apologize for not making this too flashy x-x.

Well then, let's get started!

1!TEAM BUILDING THOUGHT PROCESS!1​

A. I've seen many guides to team building, and if there is one thing that they tell you to do, it's to pick a core or two to build around. Since Megas are amazing in general (they are designed to have legendary stats, after all), I decided to build one off of them. The one mega pokemon that came to my mind was definitely MEGA-ABSOL. His sweeping potential and ability to circumvent most statuses was a very appealing idea to me. If I needed another reason to use this guy other than to build other guys around him, then sorry I guess I already failed /p-p/.

B. I've also been reading around about absol partners from many guides, and I've found that volt switch/u-turn support is a very good way of getting him into a good spot. The very first pokemon that I thought was phenomenal for this job was CROBAT. Being able to wall out Mega Absol's biggest counter, Florges, is a very appealing idea to me, as well as the many other options it can provide outside of u-turn

C. One U-Turner didn't feel like enough, and having two of my pokemon being physical didn't seem like a very appealing idea, so I looked for an effective volt-switcher. The one pokemon that came under my radar for that is HELIOLISK. He was the prime pokemon that I wanted to use against the ever-feared Suicune, who has always been a thorn in my side whenever I wanted to make a UU team.

D. Now came the fuzzy part of my thinking process. I definitely needed a hazard set-upper, but I also was in desperate need of an effective steel type counter. While Forretress initially came to mind, I never found him to be too great in terms of what he can effectively accomplish. The pokemon that I decided to ultimately use was SWAMPERT. Building him physically specially bulky with Stealth Rocks and Roar allowed him to take on most pokemon that absol struggled with a lot. Hazards also help absol sweep late game.

Wait a second... Choice Scarf Darmanitan can run a train through most of my team if my Swampert is eliminated. I've used that pokemon ALOT before, and I know its power very well. I needed a back up plan for it. At the same time, I was in desperate need of a special defense tank. This was when it hit me. Arcanine! While that Special Defense may have been compromised, I did have a trick up my sleeve that I used to use and worked very well.
E. Swampert was deemed enough to hold off Darmanitan, but the switch from physically defensive to specially defensive meaned that I needed a new physical wall that can take care most of my threats. Looking at Lucario and Meinshao, with the help of Minus, I came to the conclusion that Doublade would be the best option over Arcanine.

F. Ok, now for the final glue. The pokemon that I decided to use to take care of the most common threats in the tier. What pokemon is capable of outspeeding Mega-Aerodactyl and threaten it out? What can stop the mighty Choice Scarf Salamence? How in the world would I be able to stop Mega-Pidgeot??? The short answer? Froslass. More on her set later :p

In case you somehow missed all of those sprites, here they are!

Now, time for the actual sets!

Oh yeah, please note that all pokemon have Perfect IVs in ALL of its stats, unless hinted otherwise.
And another note; I have this small policy where I try NOT to reuse items in my teams; this forces my team to become alot more diverse, and it's something that I usually like to stick by.

2!THE REAL SETS!2

Absol @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Play Rough
- Sucker Punch
- Knock Off
- Swords Dance

Here it is in all of it's glory! The true king of the team! The one who'll sweep the nation! The sole purpose of choosing this pokemon is for it to be the main sweeper (and possibly a status reflector?). +2 Knock Offs hurt any pokemon that don't resist it for sure, with that sucker punch for secured priority! The toss up was between superpower and play rough, but I personally found play rough to be better as it helps do chunks of damage to those threatening fighting types (I'm looking at you two Meinshao and Chesnaught) without the drawback of losing Atk and Def. As soon as this thing gets the proper set up, oh boys does it work wonders against almost any team. Justified was chosen as its starting ability to POSSIBLY get a +1 when switching into a dark type attack, but so far I haven't seen too much luck with it. I also heard that the 4 SpDef EVs make it so that download users get an Atk raise, so there's that.
*I know it specifically said to NOT say the sole purpose of the mon is to sweep in the RMT thread, but I honestly don't know how else to put it. He just gets in on the field at the right time, swords dances, and then sweeps :/. PLEASE tell me if I have to add more detail into this. *

Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
Nature: Jolly
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Atk / 212 Spe Courtesy of OG_Wanka for suggesting this set up and move!
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- U-turn Roost
- Taunt

OK yeah sure, sue me for ALMOST copying Smogon's bread and butter Crobat set and spread, but honestly I don't see a need to switch it up at all. 200 Speed was really all I needed to outspeed most of the threats in the tier (Noivern, Mega-Pidgeot), and the 248 HP was to makes it's HP uneven, therefore taking in 4 stealth rocks damages and somehow still living. I switched the Def EVs for Atk EVs because I usually find myself brave birding and lacking that little bit of damage. As for the moves, well Brave Bird is the strongest stab available to Crobat (black sludge can heal back some of its recoil). U-turn is there for the momentum that it can provide, Defog is just in case some hazards get past Absol's Magic Bounce, and Taunt to stop those pesky status spreaders/set uppers. But wait, no roost? In all honestly I find that roosting with Crobat usually eats away at the precious momentum that I try to carry with my team, so I opted it out. As aforemetioned, this things's PRIME job is to stop the monster known as Florges, who can completely stop my team if left alone, and give that absol the precious momentum it needs. Even if florges is not present, crobat does alot of work with it's wide variety of movepool options. Black Sludge seemed to be the best item, since I'm forgoing the roost. Infiltrator was chosen as its ability because reflect/lightscreen/substitute can get annoying, and this allows it to catch them off guard. YES I am aware that I initially used Crobat for U-turn momentum, but as I started to play even more matches having roost around didn't actually kill any momentum (when used correctly). It definitely appreciated the extra health.

Heliolisk @ Life Orb Choice Specs THANKS MEGA NO BODY FOR THE SUGGESTION!
Ability: Dry Skin
Nature: Timid
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Volt Switch
- Thunderbolt
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice

I don't understand how this thing is in BL3; it's a great pokemon that I absolutely loving for more momentum and damage. Dry Skin's water immunity is something that I feel I have no reason to pass up on, and is the main reason as to why this thing can check suicunes/milotics so hard. I prefer life orb, as the damage can be healed through dry skin, and allows me to switch up my moves when I feel it's appropriate to do so. Choice Specs has been chosen to secure kills on bulkier mons! As for its moves; Volt switch is obviously there for the momentum madness and great damage. Thunderbolt is for when I want to damage someone with electricity, but don't feel like switching. Hyper Voice is a great secondary STAB that allows it to takes some of the stress of it's need for predictions and such. It can even hit through substitutes like Crobat! The finally move was another toss up. Between grass knot and surf, I felt that grass knot was better due to its ability to take care of opposing Swamperts, who have been known to cause a lot of trouble against my team x-x. Overall, this pokemon is capable of spreading it's own havoc, while granting that ever-so-grateful absol momentum whenever needed.

Swampert@ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent Damp (Damp was chosen to stop the Custap-Explosions)
Nature: Relaxed Sassy Courtesy of Minus and OG_Wanka for suggestions!
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 Def SpDef
- Earthquake
- Scald
- Stealth Rock
- Roar

Sheesh. By now you could probably crucify me for all the Smogon sets that I've been stealing, but I have to say that this one works wonders as well. The much needed hazards through Stealth Rocks, and the phazing capabilities of Roar allows this pokemon to fit a supportive role very very well. The roar + stealth rock combination also does work in certain situations. Relaxed Nature was chosen for defensive capabilities. Sassy Nature has been chosen over Relaxed in an attempt to make it more of a Special Defensive Wall instead! Scald gives that amazing 30% chance to burn, furthering its roles, and earthquake to secure kills that may fall upon its lap. Leftovers are very nice, as it doesn't have any recovery outside of that. Again, this thing absolutely loves facing up against steel type pokemon (who also wall absol) and setting up a hazard/ burning someone/ roaring them away for a more favorable situation. Overall a very solid tank that I can always depend on.

Arcanine @ Assault Vest
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Adamant
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Atk / 8 SpDef
- Flare Blitz
- Close Combat
- Extremespeed
- Wild Charge

Ah yes, now we get to the quirky section of the team. Assault Vest Arcanine was always a pokemon that I've tried out, due it's already pretty effective bulk and high base damage. After trying out this bad boy for quite the few matches, I decided that this doge can really put in effective work. His primary role is to pretty much tank hits that Swampert can't (Them pesky grass type pokemons... CURSES). Although he lacks a way of recovery, his tanking skills are actually very decent. He's been able to live 2 Draco Meteors from a Life Orb Hydregon and OHKO back with Close Combat. His movepool is pretty standard; Flare Blitz for STAB that can dent almost any pokemon, Extreme speed for that much needed priority (can stop sucker punches), and close combat to deal with Hydreigon and Rock Types (if it needs to, as it can just switch back to Swampert). Wild Charge was kind of a Toss Up Move, as it was that or Crunch, and through multiple battles I've found that Wild Charge works better the majority of the time. I chose Flash Fire over intimidate because I felt that the immunity is usually better. Adamant Nature to maximize damage, HP at 248 to maximize HP without the 4HKO from Stealth Rocks alone. 8 SpDef just so he can get a little extra added to his Assault side.

A NEW CHALLENGER APPEARS!!!

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 252 236 Atk / 16 SpD 32 Def Thanks Darknerones for the EVs!
IVs: 0 Speed
Brave Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gyro Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak
COURTESY OF MINUS FOR SUGGESTING THIS POKEMON!
Sorry Arcanine, you'll have to wait till later, for a new member is being put to the test! Doublade pretty much covers up the defensive spectrum that Swampert used to keep, preferring to tank physical hits instead of special hits, while still dishing out powerful damage by setting up Swords Dances! It does an excellent job of stopping the big physical guns (Mainly Mienshao, who used to destroy my team), while having multiple opportunities to set up and fight back. Gyro Ball would be preferred over iron head, as it would do more damage due to how slow Doublade is. Sacred Sword helps cover other steel types that otherwise would've caused trouble (Lucario I'm looking at you bubby). Shadow Sneak is the final slot for that extra niche priority that can catch out the few lingering pokemon late into the match. This pokemon just begs to be Knocked Off by just about any mon, which is perfect Absol food thanks to it's Justified ability! EVs spreads are set up to make the most use out of its item, Eviolite, while still hitting extremely hard. 0 IVs speed and Brave nature solely so that gyro ball can hit that much faster! Overall a very solid addition to the roster!

Froslass @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Cursed Body
Nature: Modest Timid Thanks to Darkerones for the suggestion!!!
EVs: 252 SpAtk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Destiny Bond

OK, thank you for not clicking the X button on the top left of your screen when you saw this Froslass item. Yes, it is a Choice Scarf. No, I'm not insane. Yes, I have tested this many times, and it has been working. This thing checks so many of the insane threats that UU tries to offer nowadays, it's almost hilarious. With a safe switch-in through the Volt/Turn combo, this thing can be the bane of the opponent's existence. Ice Beam OHKOs Salamence and Noivern, and OHKOs Mega-Pidgeot and Mega-Aerodactyl with a layer of stealth rocks. Shadow ball is mainly there for a move option that would be better than locking oneself into ice beam. With Choice Scarf, only priority would be able to stop the destiny bond, allowing it to take down almost two threats instead of 1. But what is this? Froslass gets trick??? Thanks to the ORAS move tutors, Froslass can finally even cripple the most defensive of pokemon with this set as well. Cursed body even allows those pokemon who attacked Froslass to have their key move disabled. Max into SpAtk and Speed for maximum damage and, well, speed, and no 4 into HP for reasons explained 2 times already -.-. Why am I praising this set so much? Well, it's because I want it to be this great all the time. Turns out that when those major threats aren't there, Froslass has difficulty getting into the field and actually doing something useful (other than tricking)

Whew, that took some times putting together. Wait a minute, I'm not done lol.

3!IMPORTABLE!3
Harbinger (Absol) @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Play Rough
- Knock Off
- Sucker Punch
- Swords Dance

Reptar (Heliolisk) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Hyper Voice
- Grass Knot

Kimono (Froslass) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Ball
- Trick

Mach 79 (Crobat) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- Defog
- Roost
- Taunt

Big Bully (Swampert) @ Leftovers
Ability: Damp
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpDef
Sassy Nature
- Earthquake
- Scald
- Stealth Rock
- Roar

KnifeMare (Doublade) @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 236 Atk / 32 Def
Brave Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gyro Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak

!4THREATLIST4!
No ONE pokemon gave me huge amounts of trouble in the end, but there were quite the number of pokemon I would rather not face up against;

Sheer Force Life Orb DD Feraligator: Always this pokemon, ain't it? I want to say that the new addition to the team would remove this threat, but I've seen many Feraligators run Crunch. Still makes me shiver... Dang is there a true counter to this guy in UU? x-x

Physically Defensive Swampert: Wait what? Yeah it turns out that my own pokemon is good against my own team in multiple ways x-x. Being forced to run Grass Knot on Heliolisk is usually quite risky, as it finds a hard time getting in there.

Choice Scarf Hydreigon: Yes this pokemon MAY have been addressed thanks to Froslass, but the fact that he gets so much done once he's out on the field often leads me to sacrifice something. Nothing on my team enjoys this thing -.-;

Life Orb Moxie Honchkrow: This thing can often be the bane of my existence due to how my pokemon usually lack a way of taking care of it efficiently. An unboosted Sucker Punch takes out a majority of my team (even OHKOs Heliolisk easily), with nothing really wanting to switch in against it without facing certain death. The only saving grave here, again, is my froslass (destiny bond is the only choice), but if they catch on the fact that I'm scarfed it could lead to some nasty baits). Other than that, being forced to rely on Doublade to kill it (After taking 60% AND losing eviolite) really puts a huge dent into my team. Whenever I see this thing in team preview, I immediately start setting up a game plan to effectively get rid of it.

Notable Mentions:

After extensive testing, Mega Aggron and Mega Blastoise have been proven to be effectively taken care of through my team!

Most of my threats usually involve some kind of predictions to get rid of effectively, which is probably why I keep losing XD

!5FINAL THOUGHTS5!

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE FOR THEIR AMAZING SPRITES AND PICTURES!!! PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CHECK THEM OUT!!!
http://aishishi.deviantart.com/art/Heliolisk-408274364
http://alounea.deviantart.com/art/Mega-Absol-392788347
http://draw-em-all.deviantart.com/art/Crobat-Ditto9-119082243
http://joltik92.deviantart.com/art/Froslass-502332060
http://gilbert86ii.deviantart.com/art/arcanine-s-flame-325790562
http://fishlover.deviantart.com/art/Vector-Swampert-Pokedoll-312388307
http://blazingcobalt.deviantart.com/art/Doublade-411010197 (Sorry for not including you earlier x-x)
http://www.pkparaiso.com/xy/sprites_pokemon.php
And thank you, Smogon, for your precious sets :3.

EDIT: I decided to upload some of the battles that I've had; some close, others stomps that highlight the pros/cons of the team. Sorry it took some time to gather these together, but I wanted to get at least some decent footage with some of the better players out there:

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-225349565 (Overall Showcase of team)
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-225351799 (Yes a misplay with the heliolisk, but nevertheless the problems should be prevelant)
(More to come)

Thank you guys so much in advance if you could critique this team. I really hope that this could be improved in many ways. Sorry, again, for this guide looking a bit on the pale side; it was my first RMT.



Wait a second... That absol set is from Smogon too...






Crap.

 

[Wanka]

Sup dude pretty interesting looking team you have here and I think I have some suggestions that can help you out. Ok so starting from the top with crobat, I strongly suggest you run roost over either taunt or u turn. Roost provides crobat with longevity allowing it to stay alive throughout the course of a battle so you do not get withered down as easily by stealth rock and other things. With its ability to force switches as well, you will find opportunities to recover throughout a battle. I think I have a set for your crobat that I think will benefit your team and one that also contains 212 speed evs which can outspeed adamant feraligatr at +1.

crobat set here

Crobat @ Black Sludge
Ability: Infiltrator
EVs: 248 HP / 48 Atk / 212 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Brave Bird
- U-turn
- Defog
- Roost

I see in your threat list you have the likes of lucario and scarf mienshao. For help with them I have a suggestion for your arcanine set that can help you deal with those mons easier. For the ability I suggest intimidate as you can switch into shao much easier with intimidate and lucario as well. Watch out with lucario though as they can potentially carry earthquake. As for the item would suggest leftovers as it is great passive recovery to help you take on those physical attackers better and allows access for you to use the move morning sun which means you can switch in on those threats and recover your hp back. As far as the evs for it go, its up to you if you want a more offensive or defensive variant. Ill post an option below.

arcanine

Arcanine @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 Spe
Impish Nature
- Flare Blitz
- ExtremeSpeed
- Will-O-Wisp
- Morning Sun

If you feel you are lacking a special wall then making your swampert specially defensive actually doesn't sound like a bad idea at all for your team as you are a little weak to the nido's and It would not be bad at all paired with a physically defensive arcanine to have decent wall core that covers both sides of the spectrum.

swampert

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Scald
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roar

 

[Minus]

Hey dude, pretty cool team you have here!

The first thing I see is a huge Mega Aero and gatr weakness that you pointed out yourself, so you might want to look into using Doublade > Arcanine. The Tank SD set also is bulky offensive like arcanine (while still retaining priority that you wanted too!), but most importantly it patches up your weakness to both of those threats. You also have something to else to pressure the opponent into not clicking High Jump Kick on Shao :O Better yet, you can stop SD Lucario with it too.

Because Doublade can handle most physical threats on it's own, Swampert should be shifted to a 252 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD with a Sassy nature so it can handle special threats better, while still being able to take on Darmanitan/Entei which give Doublade trouble. Also, you could check out using Damp > Torrent on it to prevent Custap Forry leads to exploding.

Doublade

Doublade @ Eviolite
Ability: No Guard
EVs: 240 HP / 252 Atk / 16 SpD
Brave Nature
- Swords Dance
- Gyro Ball
- Sacred Sword
- Shadow Sneak

Swampert

Swampert @ Leftovers
Ability: Damp
EVs: 240 HP / 16 Atk / 252 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Scald
- Roar

edit: ayy lmao, nice ninja >:|

 

[Darknight7777]

Hey guys! Thank you so much for your suggestions! For the Crobat I've made sure to change the Speed EVs to 212 as suggested, and decided to replace U-turn with Roost. Despite the switching capabilities I much prefer carrying taunt on Crobat; it stops so many things from setting up! As for the suggestion of switching Swampert to Special Defensive wall and the Damp ability, I'm glad those were called out because it never occured to me xp. I'll be putting that into practice right away as well!

Now for the final decision between arcanine or doublade...
I have to admit that intimidate would be much better on arcanine in general. However, now that I look at it, Doublade feels like a much better option. It still retains the physical bulkiness that I wanted to keep, while being able to check even more counters. I'll definately try him out, but I don't know about completely replacing arcanine until a get a good few matches in with it.

Again, thanks for the advice! All this helps me little by little on how I should approach EFFECTIVE team building :3.

 

[Mega NO Body]

Hi there, by looking at ur team I think its weak against bulky stally teams. Since u put so many checks against hyper offense mons that u urself have to solely depend on mega absol for massive damage. Mega toise for eg. can run all over ur team by icebeam on crobat, aura on helio whose hits it can survive, d pulse on frosslass. Then there's also mega aggron who isn't fazed by any of ur attacks. They should probably be on the threat list.
I'm afraid I don't have a solution for this since no one pokemon can counter them. Sorry for not being too helpful :(

 

[Lord Wallace]

Hey man cool looking team, the above suggestions have already fixed most of this team's issues but I have just a couple more optimizations.
Consider putting 32 Def EVs on Doublade from SDef and Atk, this way you'll always live +2 LO Adamant Lucario's Earthquake after Rocks. since you risk getting swept otherwise and it's not a huge loss in Atk.

The Froslass set is really creative, I especially like Trick but I'd still consider a Timid Lead set with Focus Sash and Spikes since your team looks to be on the more offensive side and both Heliolisk and Absol really appreciate Spikes support when trying to clean up late game, it even acts as a spinblocker. You'll still have Destiny Bond to emergency RK too.
If you decide to stick with the Scarf set I'd still go Timid to outspeed Scarf Mienshao and Scarf Hydreigon and either pick them off or Destiny Bond. This will also allow you to RK +1 Salamence, a huge threat to any team.

Hope I helped!

 

[Darknight7777]

Hey guys! Thanks so much for the suggestions once again! The 32 EVs into Def sounds like a terrific idea! Lucarios haven't been giving me too much trouble anymore, but this is something that I think would help even more! I shall definitely try to put that into practice! As for the suggestion on timid with Froslass, that WAS initially the nature that I've chosen, but I found that often times having timid doesn't secure kills that it should've had(Froslass doesn't have the highest special attack stat, leading to some disappointing results when I come across "secured" kills). HOWEVER, I've reviewed some of the speed tiers, and found out that being Timid is overall the better choice. As for reforming it into a timid lead set, I'd prefer to veto the idea. I've had multiple success with this set due to it's ability to cripple defensive pokemon that my pokemon sometimes have trouble with (tricking them a choice scarf), as well as the ability to take down the faster offensive threats (Ice Beam or Destiny Bond). I was about to initially put down Hydreigon as one of my main threats after a few days of testing, but this solves the problem very nicely.

About the threats about the tankier Mega-Blastoise and Mega-Aggron, I honestly don't think they're too problematic to deal with. One thing that I have been trying out so far was switching out Life Orb for Choice Specs on Heliolisk, which helps secure the OHKO on Mega-Blastoise and Suicune after stealth rocks. The only reason I've been hesitant on this idea was because I prefer not to have 2 choiced items on my team; often leads to too many situations when I wanted to switch moves. As for Mega Aggron, other than the fact that I haven't seen too many of them nowadays, Swampert does do a lot against it thanks to its burns with scald. It also lets me set up stealth rock since mega aggron usually can't do anything back. The one thing that I absolutely fear, however, may be the Curse-ResTalk Mega Aggron set. Although I haven't seen it ONCE yet, I've been fearing it due to how my team can't really stop it (MAYBE doublade, but idk). I do thank you for your insight though; definitely helped me look for more glaring mistakes.

Again, thank you guys for your amazing insight; my team has already been seeing a lot more success due to these changes!