Mmkay so lately I've been partying quite a bit because school is over, and that's what I do when I don't have school. And I really got into LMFAO. They're not even that good, but they're really good at parties and they're really catchy. So this is my LMFAO themed team for UU.
So I made a few UU teams testing out the new tier, and after significant changes, I combined all the best parts of each team into one big awesome team. This is the team I've had the most success with, and it helped me reach #101 on Smogon (pretty good for someone who sucks like me). I still feel like there is a lot missing from this team and that it can be improved greatly. So it's up to you Smogonites to fix this team and make it work.
So the basic idea behind the team is to scout with Ambipom's hit and run tactics, counter accordingly with my walls while stalling with Toxic Spikes, and when I can, setting up for a Snorlax sweep (which tend to take a long time, making the Toxic Spikes useful there too).
Teambuilding
Alright, so I always thought stall teams were the most fun to play with, so I wanted to find a core that worked extremely well. I looked all around for stalling cores that worked, and this came up (seeing as both these pokemon just dropped down from OU). Physically Defensive Zapdos and Specially Defensive Empoleon compliment each other quite well, and work very efficiently as a core.
So after this core, I needed something to sweep afterwards. With the removal of Conkeldurr, it seemed like a perfect time to break out my favorite pokemon. Ursaring, with the SD+Quick Feet set, can boost its stats to +2 Attack and +1 Speed in one turn, then sweep with a 140 base power STAB move. So boom, there's your Ursaring.
Now I needed something to allow Ursaring to set up easily. I had two walls and a sweeper, but nothing that really allowed the sweeper to get going. I looked around and got excited when I saw that another pokemon dropped down from Ubers. Probably the stupidest pokemon out there, Wobbuffet!
Looking at the UU threat list, there were still a lot of pokemon I needed to cover, mainly Victini, Vulpix, and Kyurem. I needed something with priority, fast revenge-killing capabilities, and the ability to counter all of the pokemon listed above. Of course, no one pokemon can do it, so I filled the last slots on my team with Ambipom (for strong priority and revenge killing) and Skuntank (for powerful pursuits, sucker punches, and suicide explosions. The Tickle+Pursuit combo was also nice).
Mmmkay this had problems. First off, Skuntank should not be used in UU, end of discussion. Ursaring was frail and often couldn't set up, my defensive core just sat there most of the time, and I saw that I was being swept by pokemon like Nidoking. Finally, this was not a stall team. I needed to restore the stall feeling of the team, get rid of Skuntank, provide stalling support, and get rid of Ursaring. Nidoqueen helped me absorb Toxic Spikes as well as lay them out providing support for Zapdos and Empoleon. And Snorlax was not only a perfect set up sweeper but also a great staller. And that's where the team came from.
Nidoqueen, stay in the kitchen. Your manlier, more powerful husband is going to take over for the rest of the team.
So after this core, I needed something to sweep afterwards. With the removal of Conkeldurr, it seemed like a perfect time to break out my favorite pokemon. Ursaring, with the SD+Quick Feet set, can boost its stats to +2 Attack and +1 Speed in one turn, then sweep with a 140 base power STAB move. So boom, there's your Ursaring.
Now I needed something to allow Ursaring to set up easily. I had two walls and a sweeper, but nothing that really allowed the sweeper to get going. I looked around and got excited when I saw that another pokemon dropped down from Ubers. Probably the stupidest pokemon out there, Wobbuffet!
Looking at the UU threat list, there were still a lot of pokemon I needed to cover, mainly Victini, Vulpix, and Kyurem. I needed something with priority, fast revenge-killing capabilities, and the ability to counter all of the pokemon listed above. Of course, no one pokemon can do it, so I filled the last slots on my team with Ambipom (for strong priority and revenge killing) and Skuntank (for powerful pursuits, sucker punches, and suicide explosions. The Tickle+Pursuit combo was also nice).
Mmmkay this had problems. First off, Skuntank should not be used in UU, end of discussion. Ursaring was frail and often couldn't set up, my defensive core just sat there most of the time, and I saw that I was being swept by pokemon like Nidoking. Finally, this was not a stall team. I needed to restore the stall feeling of the team, get rid of Skuntank, provide stalling support, and get rid of Ursaring. Nidoqueen helped me absorb Toxic Spikes as well as lay them out providing support for Zapdos and Empoleon. And Snorlax was not only a perfect set up sweeper but also a great staller. And that's where the team came from.
Nidoqueen, stay in the kitchen. Your manlier, more powerful husband is going to take over for the rest of the team.
Alright, here it is:
HI MOM (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
So Ambipom is my counter to fast, powerful pokemon like Kyurem, Houndoom, and Zoraork. The main point about Ambipom is its extremely powerful Fake Out. Ambipom finds times to come in on frail threats and do massive damage with Fake Out. This is how I avoid getting swept by quicker powerhouses. For some actual power behind my words, here are some calcs:
Fake Out vs.
Zoroark- 61.3% - 72.8%
Houndoom- 63.2% - 74.6%
Azelf- 49.5% - 58.1%
Flygon- 42.2% - 50.2%
Sharpedo- 76.9% - 90.7%
That's not too bad for a preliminary turn. And of course, because all my pokemon have high defenses, it's not too difficult to switch them in, then swich in Ambipom again for another Fake Out. But Fake Out isn't the whole set. The main appeal of this set is to do enough damage quickly. So usually I'll hit the opponent with Fake Out and follow up with a STAB LO Return for the kill. It's important to note that anything that takes at least 38% damage from Fake Out will be OHKO'd by Return. Just for some impact of what that is, and uninvested Zapdos is OHKO'd, and Mew takes a minimum of 84.2 (maximum of 99.8). That's quite impressive. Of course, after factoring in a bit of residual damage, Ambipom can OHKO a good deal of the sweepers of the tier. And with this tactic, any sweeper with speed under base 115 will be taken care of. Low Sweep is a wonderful addition to Ambipom's movepool. Not only does it provide great coverage and allow for Ambipom to hit pokemon like Empoleon, Chansey, and Kyurem for SE damage (all three are extremely common switch-ins), but the speed drop is critical for the follow up hit. If something faster than Ambipom or a scarfed pokemon will switch in, I can nail it with a Low Sweep, allowing me to finish it off the next turn. Proper prediction is the most important part of this move, as it can change the outcome of the battle if the proper threats are slowed down. It can also deal incredible damage on a lot of important pokemon. Kyurem, Empoleon, and Chansey are all 2HKO'd. I like Ambipom being able to switch out with U-Turn, and the combo is even more powerful with the speed drops from Low Sweep (Low Sweep incoming pokemon, U-Turn out the next turn), but I dislike the LO recoil that comes with just switching out. I generally dislike Ambipom's frailty, and he really only lasts for part of the game, which is a shame. I want the extra muscle behind my attacks that I get with LO, but I want Ambipom to be able to keep switching in and dish out repeated Fake Outs and Returns.
CHANGES:
I've also been thinking about switching to an Adamant nature and changing to Leftovers, but that hinders not only my power but also my revenge-killing abilities. If I run Drapion over Nidoking, I might change U-Turn to Fire Punch to keep pokemon like Escavalier away and to punish Sun teams.
WHY HI MOM:
Watch the music videos. There's a guy in every one with a shirt that says "Hi Mom", and he's always popping up. Ambipom's Hi Mom because he always pops up to score a Fake Out or two. He also gets around a lot and shows up in a lot of different places in the battle.
La la la (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
Based on Cherub Agent's recommendation, I switched Nidoqueen to Nidoking. This allows me to still keep my Toxic Spikes, but also have somewhat of an offensive presence. To start things off, although Nidoking may not have bulk it has resistances, including a useful resistance to the Fighting+Rock combo, as well as both of Heracross's STABs. On top of this, Nidoking can absorb Toxic Spikes that are sometimes reflected back at me by Espeons or Xatus (both of which are 2HKO'd by either Earth Power or Ice Beam, respectively). Toxic Spikes are vital to my team, and they are what makes this team function. That's why Nidoking is so incredibly important to this team. Nidoking is also a wall breaker of sorts and takes care of several threatening pokemon like Escavalier, Cobalion, or Empoleon. Earth Power is the strong STAB move and is the wall breaking move of choice. Ice Beam has fantastic coverage alongside it, making me feel like I don't really need BoltBeam coverage if I have Ice-Ground coverage. So instead of having Thunderbolt, I have Flamethrower to handle Chlorophyll sweepers, Blizzspam teams, Escavalier, and Heracross. Toxic Spikes are generally used when the opponent tries to wall me with pokemon like Chansey (who can't do much back to me and is mostly set up bait). I could run more bulk in Nidoking (and I probably should), but I want my team to have somewhat of an offensive presence instead of a full stall team.
CHANGES:
Nidoqueen had bulk and no power, Nidoking has power and no bulk. I wish there were a compromise, but I'll take Nidoking for now. I could run a more stall-ish spread for this guy, but I don't really know a good one, so if anyone has suggestions regarding that I'd appreciate it. I thought about running Drapion in this spot, which would also go great with Wobbuffet (because of Tickle+Pursuit), but it wasn't bulky enough, didn't have enough power, and didn't have useful resistances.
WHY LA LA LA:
Because that's what I sing when I troll the opponent's Chansey by setting up Toxic Spikes in its face.
YES @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 196 HP / 60 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
Subroost Zapdos is amazing, simply put. Incredibly fast, but still powerful and bulky. With Toxic Spikes support, this thing can stall for eternity. A combo of subbing and roosting can really prolong the battle, and if I'm behind a sub, I can usually get in a kill or two. I usually sub up all the time, because chances are that I'm faster than the opponent, and if the opponent decides to attack me, the worst that happens is that they break my sub. And of course, because this is a stall team, I always heal with Roost. I also like the additional PP stalling that occurs with Pressure on this set. I can wear down pokemon like non-scarfed Heracross and drain all of the PP of Stone Edge simply by subbing and roosting when health is low. The remaining moveslots are devoted to Thunderbolt and Hidden Power Ice, which provide amazing BoltBeam coverage, even though HP Ice is fairly weak. Thunderbolt is incredibly powerful, even though its Special Attack is uninvested. Thunderbolt is what allows me to take out threats like Milotic, Suicune, and Empoleon, none of which are bothered by Toxic Spikes. Hidden Power Ice is quite weak, however, and really can't deal much damage to neutral targets. I used to have Heat Wave over HP Ice, but I hated the constant Nidokings that would switch in. Zapdos is physically bulky, despite only having 60 Defense EVs, and makes a great partener with Empoleon. They cover each other's weaknesses perfectly, with the exception of Electric (Empoleon is weak to it, and Zapdos is neutral. This of course changes when Lightningrod is released for Zapdos). Zapdos is my physical wall, and a damn good one at that.
CHANGES:
I wish I had room for Toxic on this set, because Toxic Spikes can't get everything, but I'd rather have HP Ice at the moment. Because HP Ice is so weak, however, I'm looking to replace it with something else. I used to have Heat Wave, but I hate Nidoking so I needed to change that.
WHY YES:
Because they're both fucking awesome, that's why. Seriously though, Yes is a really good song, and Zapdos is a really good pokemon. And when I get Zapdos behind a sub, I say:
"Yes it's on and poppin
Yes the partys rockin
Yes the cutie shockin
Yes and there ain't no stoppin"
Party Rock Anthem (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
AWWWWW YEAH EMPOLEON HITS UU! I've always been a fan of Empoleon, it's such a cool pokemon. It's bulky, powerful, and cool. This is my own custom set that maximizes its Special Defense and shuffling abilities. Scald is the obligatory STAB move, but also serves to burn physical threats. Pokemon like Escavalier, Gallade, or Hitmontop have to think twice about switching in. By recommendation of Cherub Agent, I switched Yawn and Protect phazing to Roar phazing. Roar is reliable phazing with Poison status being thrown everywhere. It helps rid me of boosting threats, subbing threats, and really anything I don't like. It also ensures that Poison status gets around to every pokemon on the field before it is spun away or absorbed or something. With the spot left open from where Protect used to be, I threw in Stealth Rock. Since this is a stall team, I fully expect the opponent to be switching around quite a bit, and with the addition of Stealth Rock, certain pokemon can only switch in a limited number of times. Finally, Flash Cannon is used exclusively for Kyurem, who is 2HKO'd. Empoleon is my go-to-guy for Kyurem, who really can't attack me except with Focus Blast, which misses almost half the time anyway. In short, Empoleon is a special beast and is an amazing wall with amazing typing and support options.
CHANGES:
Flash Cannon kind of sucks, but I need it for Kyurem. I used to run Yawn and Protect, but I replaced it with Knock OFf and Roar. Should I add back in Protect for scouting and Leftovers healing?
WHY PARTY ROCK ANTHEM:
Every day Empoleon's shufflin'.
SHOTS (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
SNORLAX ROAR! Snorlax is so goddamn good, it's ridiculous that this thing is in UU. Aside from being the best last poke ever (if Snorlax is your last pokemon, you still have a chance), it's an amazing bulky sweeper. A monstrous HP stat pairs with a great Special Defense stat, making this thing unkillable with special hits. Then the Curses come in to patch up the poor Defense stat, and soon this thing is a super-bulky machine. Snorlax doesn't have any recovery moves (WHY NO SLACK OFF?) so I need to rely on Rest to heal myself. This is okay, because I'll only be resting after my defenses are boosted. It can be annoying to face pokemon with moves like Nasty Plot or Swords Dance, however, because while I'm asleep they can boost and kill me, and I can't do much about it. So it's important to remove all major threats (see Wobbuffet section of RMT). There are also plenty of times to Curse. Empoleon's Yawn provides sleep support, allowing me to set up on sleeping pokemon. Wobbuffet's Encore or Tickle can provide me with good times to set up. And then there's always the other player. I can set up during the first time they use Toxic to see if I'm using Thick Fat, during the second time where they don't understand why the first time didn't work, and when they try to paralyze or burn me, not realizing that I have Rest. Once my attack is high enough and the opponent understands my set, I can start hammering away with my STAB Return and Earthquake for coverage. Ground and Normal coverage isn't perfect, but only the following pokemon resist the combo in UU:
Aerodactyl (2HKO'd at +2, OHKO'd at +5)
Archeops (reaches Defeatist range at +1)
Drifblim (immune, but rare thankfully)
Eviolite Haunter (immune, but rare thankfully)
Lunatone (2HKO'd at +1, OHKO'd at +4)
Mismagius (immune, and somewhat common actually)
Rotom (no form) (immune, but rare thankfully)
Shedinja (immune, rare, and killed by Toxic Spikes)
Solrock (2HKO'd at +2, OHKO'd at +6)
Archeops (reaches Defeatist range at +1)
Drifblim (immune, but rare thankfully)
Eviolite Haunter (immune, but rare thankfully)
Lunatone (2HKO'd at +1, OHKO'd at +4)
Mismagius (immune, and somewhat common actually)
Rotom (no form) (immune, but rare thankfully)
Shedinja (immune, rare, and killed by Toxic Spikes)
Solrock (2HKO'd at +2, OHKO'd at +6)
CHANGES:
Maybe a different coverage combination that has no immunities (like Return and Crunch). I don't know, there's not a whole lot I want to change about this guy. I've been using the standard Smogon EV spread, but I don't really understand the logic behind the numbers, so if anyone has any suggestions about that, I'd appreciate that.
WHY SHOTS:
Because it's the best, that's why.
Shots shots shots shots shots shots shots shots shots shots shots shots
I'm in Miami bitch (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Def / 228 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
Wobbuffet in UU? That's right, and it kinda sucks too. With the Encore nerf, this pokemon really isn't all that great now, but I still like to use it for its ability to take out most offensive threats with the CounterCoat combination. If there is a pokemon that is threatening to my team (like Arcanine) or that I just don't like (like Hitmontop), I trap them and kill them with the appropriate attack. It's almost like a guaranteed KO as long as the opponent doesn't have a boosting move. And even on pokemon like Gallade, who cares if they get to +6 Attack? I'll just OHKO them with Counter as soon as they attack. The only attackers that really give me trouble are pokemon like CB Sun Victini (which should be banned), CB Escavalier, CB Heracross, and Specs Sun Charizard (which should have sun banned). Pokemon like Golurk and Houndoom are also unkillable because of their immunity to Counter and Mirror Coat, respectively. Even though Encore was severely nerfed (now only lasting 2-3 turns), it is still usefull. I can't really catch pokemon on a boosting move and the opponent doesn't always switch out afterwards, but I can catch the opponent on moves like Stealth Rock or Toxic (because Nidoqueen, Snorlax, and Empoleon are all immune or don't give a fuck). Charm is the last move kinda because Wobbuffet doesn't have much else, but it also helps pokemon like Snorlax to set up. With lowered attacks, it'll be easier for Snorlax to set up its Curses and raise its unboosted Defense. Wobbuffet is back, but it isn't Uber material anymore, and it's real only use is CounterCoat.
CHANGES:
I've thought of replacing Wobbuffet because CounterCoat isn't worth wasting a teamslot on, but I've liked how it's performed so far for my team so I've kept it. I've been thinking about replacing it with Xatu, but I feel that Xatu and Zapdos on the same team might not be a great idea. Other candidates for this spot are Spikes Deoxys-D, Taunt W-o-W Mew, and W-o-W Sucker Punch Spiritomb (for Victini and physical attackers and spin blocking). Whatever it is, it needs to resist Fighting moves because of my somewhat large weakness to them.
WHY I'M IN MIAMI BITCH:
I'm in UU bitch.
IMPORTABLE:
HI MOM (Ambipom) (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- Low Sweep
- U-turn
La la la (Nidoking) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
YES (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 196 HP / 60 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Party Rock (Empoleon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
- Flash Cannon
SHOTS (Snorlax) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Curse
- Rest
- Return
- Earthquake
I'm in Miami (Wobbuffet) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Def / 228 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Encore
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Charm
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- Low Sweep
- U-turn
La la la (Nidoking) (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Toxic Spikes
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Earth Power
YES (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 196 HP / 60 Def / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Hidden Power [Ice]
Party Rock (Empoleon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Scald
- Roar
- Stealth Rock
- Flash Cannon
SHOTS (Snorlax) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 188 HP / 104 Def / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Curse
- Rest
- Return
- Earthquake
I'm in Miami (Wobbuffet) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Shadow Tag
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Def / 228 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Encore
- Counter
- Mirror Coat
- Charm
