Introduction
I haven't made a decent team for a while. I've coasted on the success of my Sunny Day team (although I'm still looking for a Cresselia replacement), and many of my attempts at a "normal" team have not been so great. They all lacked synergy. So I sat down and thought, what does it take to win? To win, you've got to counter all your threats. And with that in mind, I decided to make a team whose theme was simply winning, and could counter most of UU's premier threats. It's definitely not perfect, but I've gotten a pretty solid lineup. So, here goes:
At a Glance
In-Depth
Sneasel: My Anti-Froslass @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Counter
- Pursuit
- Taunt
- Fake Out
The Mindset
This Sneasel set, though taken straight from the Strategy Dex, is a perfect antilead. I realized (with a bit of help from a thread in the UU subforum) that instead of Taunting and Pursuiting with Ambipom, I could Taunt and Pursuit with something that not only gained a STAB on pursuit but that resisted Ice Beam. Even better, it can Fake Out and serve as a Sash Counterer that nobody sees coming.
The Moves
Counter combines with Inner Focus, Sneasel's pitiful defenses, and the Focus Sash to create an excellent counterlead. I can simply select Counter on the first turn and watch enemy Ambipoms kill themselves with Fake Out. Additionally, after Taunting Uxies, I can Counter the U-Turn and KO the switch-in. Sneasel can also be put into the reserves and used to strike back at physical sweepers like Swellow if I can keep rocks and spikes away.
Pursuit is a no-brainer. After Taunting Froslass, I can Pursuit for great justice. Alternatively, against people who know what's going down, I can simply Pursuit on the switch, bringing it to 1 hp. It serves as a decent STAB against psychics and will maim or kill Mismagius later in the game.
Taunt is an absolute must. The purpose of an antilead is to prevent leads from acting, and in the entry hazard-rich field of UU play, there are plenty of rockers and spikers, all of which are slower than Sneasel.
Fake Out is the final, somewhat questionable move on the set. It could probably be replaced with something better. It does break sashes, though most leads don't use them and the occasional Sharpedo will break my sash in return with Rough Skin. Sneasel is exactly as fast as Ambipom to boot, and is better served by Countering than trying to win a speed tie for some piddling damage.
Sceptile: My Anti-Moltres @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
The Mindset
SD Sceptile is an excellent pokémon. It is outsped in UU only by Swellow and Electrode, though it ties with Dugtrio and Alakazam. It also outspeeds scarfed or otherwise boosted Base 80's like DD Altaria. One of the primary reasons that I chose Sceptile, however, is the fact that it absolutely destroys Moltres. An unboosted Rock Slide will KO a slightly damaged Moltres or bring a fully healthy one down so low that a priority move or LO recoil will kill it. Sceptile can also counter Raikou, and can OHKO Venusaur after two dances (which isn't as far-fetched as it sounds, since I can make Venusaur sleep if I want, and most stay in without fearing Sceptile).
The Moves
Swords Dance is essential to the set. The lack of coverage from X-Scissor won't be missed, because Sceptile already has perfect (I think) neutral coverage, as well as good SE coverage. After one swords dance, Sceptile takes over two-thirds of Venusaur's health with Earthquake, and will OHKO a good portion of the metagame. A second Dance if I can get one makes Sceptile practically untouchable.
Leaf Blade provides a physical STAB, it's as simple as that. It also gains power when Sceptile is about to die and Overgrow activates. Leaf Blade teams up with Rock Slide to provide excellent coverage.
Earthquake is almost obligatory. One of the best moves in the game since the beginning, it provides great damage, perfect accuracy, and good SE coverage. It's less powerful with all the Levitating ghosts around nowadays, but Sceptile can handily demolish pretty much any levitator but Weezing with its other attacks. Earthquake plays important roles in dishing out the hurt to Venusaur and Raikou.
Rock Slide is vital to the set, because it allows Sceptile to counter Moltres. It's a guaranteed OHKO after SR damage, LO Recoil, or one Swords Dance. Many Moltres users don't see it coming, letting me turn the burning turkey into a non-issue.
Donphan: My Anti-Swellow @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Assurance
The Mindset
Most teams need a spinner (I was going to say all before I remembered my Sunny Day team). Possibly the best spinner in UU is Donphan, who I selected largely for its ability to counter Guts Swellow. Donphan also plays a role in setting up Stealth Rock, which can curtail any future sweeps by the ever-dangerous Swellow and Moltres.
The Moves
Rapid Spin is the reason Donphan got on this team. My pokes aren't especially hazard-weak, though Rotom doesn't appreciate rocks and Sneasel would like to keep its sash intact. At any rate, keeping entry hazards in is a Bad Thing.
Earthquake needs little explanation. 100 BP STAB with good coverage and 100% accuracy, coming off 372 attack? Count me in!
Ice Shard is vital for its Swellow-countering properties. Guts Swellow and Donphan will take away about two-thirds of each others' health. Donphan, however, has priority, isn't poisoned, and can set up rocks to kill Swellow on its return should it switch out. Another sweeper bites the dust.
Currently going with Assurance over Stealth Rock. It's a tradeoff, not having hazards, and I'm not sure if it's totally worth it. I might start loving Assurance the next time an Uxie or Mismagius switches in, though.
Rotom: My Anti-SubStall @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Charge Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Shadow Ball
The Mindset
Rotom is useful in not only blocking substallers and statusers, but spinblocking as well. This particular set has two bonuses in that it can set up while it walls and Substitute + HP Grass allows me to deal with enemy Dugtrio and Rhyperior. The lack of Thunderbolt is lamentable, but that's a small price to pay for such a useful setup.
The Moves
Substitute makes this setup work. Rotom is actually pretty fast for the UU tier, beating out Moltres by 1 base speed. This allows it to block status from pretty much anything, as well as slower SubSeeders. From behind the substitute, Rotom is free to use...
Charge Beam is the bread and butter of this set against stallers, especially SubStallers. Though it is a fairly weak attack, even with STAB, the Satk boosts make it worth it. Note, however, that the lack of Thunderbolt means Rotom can't eventually 2HKO Chansey. Not that it really needs to, since Chansey can't do much back.
Hidden Power [Grass] allows Rotom to KO Donphans, Dugtrios, and Rhyperiors that think they can walk into a Charge Beam and force a switch. Again, this leaves Rotom unable to perform the niche operation of 2HKO'ing Chansey at +6.
Shadow Ball serves as a secondary STAB and more powerful move against those neutral to all of Rotom's attacks. It KO's ghosts that come in to take Rotom down. Substitute prediction is essential here, as with a sub up, it will win vs a lot of things with Shadow Ball, and with the sub down, it loses.
Umbreon: My Anti-Setup @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Curse
- Sucker Punch
- Yawn
- Pursuit
The Mindset
This is an Umbreon set of my own devising. I mean, I'm sure someone has run it before me at one point, but whatever. It's nonstandard, at any rate. Unlike the other mons, Umbreon isn't tailored to counter a specific threat, but rather to sit there and screw with my opponent. The Curse/Sucker Punch combo is deadly, and Umbreon manages to be a nuisance and Curse up enough that Leftovers make up somewhat for the lack of a recovery move. In fact, most of Umbreon's deaths come from Toxic. Additionally, Synchronize can make Umbreon a pain for Registeels and Venusaurs.
The Moves
Curse is extremely useful, and the drop in speed doesn't really impact Umbreon. The defense boost changes Umbreon from a special tank with good defenses to an all-out tank, and the attack boost gives more power to the fairly weak offensive moveset, especially against stallers.
Sucker Punch is an excellent, and unexpected, addition to Umbreon's arsenal. It acts as another check against Guts Swellow and other sweepers, and is an excellent STAB priority move that allows Umbreon to ignore its reduced speed against everything except other Sucker Punchers.
Yawn helps Umbreon stop setup mons in their tracks. Either they switch out and get nailed with pursuit or allow another curse, or they go to sleep and allow one of my pokes to set up. It's a crapshoot, but either Pursuit or Sucker Punch will be useful after a Yawn - Sucker Punch if I think they'll stay in for a final "screw you" before nodding off, and Pursuit if I think they'll escape status. Predicting right can be devastating.
Pursuit rounds out Umbreon's moveset, and is the only offensive move it can use against substallers and the like. In this role, it fails without a large number of curses, but where it really shines is pursuit trapping, where an enemy ghost or psychic is screwed if they switch and screwed if they stay in. Also useful if I can just flat-out predict a switch.
Hypno: My Anti-Venusaur @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 HP/56 Def/200 Spd
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Wish
- Thunder Wave
The Mindset
For my final poke, I decided to find something decent with Insomnia to counter Venusaur. I found Hypno. Hypno beats scarf 'saurs with its high special defense, and can come in on a Sleep Powder then paralyze the switch-in. Calm Minds augment its special tankiness, as well as lend more power to Psychic. Hypno is sadly vulnerable to pursuit trappers and dark-types, though I haven't seen many pursuit trappers around, and Spiritomb is no longer in vogue with Cresselia gone.
The Moves
Calm Mind is your generic setup move. It turns Hypno into a slow, bulky special sweeper of sorts. It's also another option I can take against predicted Sucker Punches against paralyzed opponents and the like. While Hypno may seem fairly harmless, I've used it to sweep teams after they underestimated the power of a few Calm Minds.
Psychic is a generic powerful STAB. It also has the nice side-effect of lowering Sdef occasionally, and is nice in that it rips apart any Venusaur foolish enough to stay in. The major downside of Psychic is that it leaves Hypno vulnerable to Registeel and Dark types.
Wish lets Hypno play more of a utility role. It is notably effective in restoring health to Umbreon so it can keep on tanking. It can also be used on Hypno itself, though the lack of Protect means it's less effective in this role. It can, however, let Hypno get in enough Calm Minds against a special threat to make them a non-issue.
Thunder Wave makes an excellent combo with Insomnia against Venusaurs, allowing Hypno to spread debilitating paralysis among the enemy. On later switch-ins against sleepers, I can use Psychic to hit the already-crippled poke meant to take the T-wave (or Venusaur. Or Hitmonlee. It all works out).
Final Thoughts
I'm not sure what to classify this team. I guess it's more balanced, though I tend to think pretty offensively. I've filled out a threat list, which may be less accurate for pokes I haven't seen a lot/at all, which is a decent number, seeing as the team isn't real old. I notice that I've got a problem with Darks and Steels.
Threat List:
Offensive Threats
Absol - Has some good matchups, but is frail enough to be taken out by Umbreon, Scpetile, and Donphan
Alakazam - Umbreon can pursuit trap or Sucker Punch the Focus Blast
Ambipom - As a lead, a simple Counter OHKO's.
Arcanine - Sceptile after a SD, Donphan, Umbreon, ect.
Azumarill - Rotom does well against SubPunch sets, though Charge Beam can't OHKO and Waterfall will hurt.
Blaziken - Sceptile, sceptile, sceptile.
Drapion - A definite threat. Umbreon and Sceptile need to try to wear it down, but Sneasel works too with an intact sash.
Feraligatr - Not much can stop it after a DD. My best bet is to paralyze it or hope Sneasel's got his sash intact.
Froslass - Sneasel eats Frossy for breakfast, and Umbreon catches any that get away.
Hariyama - Donphan, Hypno, and Sceptile can deal with it, though it has some threat potential.
Hitmonlee - Pretty rare, though I imagine Rotom + Hypno would make it unhappy.
Hitmontop - Can't do much to anything except Umbreon.
Houndoom - Does well against most of my team, but Sceptile can KO.
Kabutops - Rotom if it's wounded, sceptile if it's not. Uncounterable in the rain, though.
Kangaskhan - No issues.
Leafeon - Setup fodder.
Magmortar - Sceptile owns it, but the rest of my team has to wear it down while getting swept.
Magneton - Magnet Rise sets could pose some problems.
Mismagius - Sneasel and Umbreon dominate. Everything else can fight back.
Moltres - Sceptile, or Hypno/Umbreon.
Omastar - Sneasel Taunts, my other pokes clean up. Rain Sweepers lol at me.
Poliwrath - Rotom or Hypno
Raikou - Donphan barring HP Grass, Rotom barring Shadow Ball, or just Sceptile.
Rhyperior - Sceptile has its way, Hypno does heavy damage, and Rotom does too.
Scyther - Sceptile (I'm beginning to see a trend here).
Swellow - Donphan shuts it down with Ice Shard. Umbreon or Sneasel can interrupt the sweep.
Torterra - I wouldn't fancy facing a RP Torterra. Nothing I have really stops it, but Donphan can hit back pretty hard.
Venusaur - I can block the sleep with Hypno or share the fun with Umbreon. Sceptile can do heavy damage after a setup.
Defensive Threats
Blastoise - Sceptile and Rotom do well, though it can cause annoyance.
Chansey - Rotom sets up against it, Hypno loses a war of attrition, and everything else hits it where it's weak.
Claydol - Unbreon, Rotom, Sceptile. No problem.
Cloyster - Kinda annoying, but HP Fighting after a few CMs kills fast.
Cradily - I'm pretty much screwed in the sand if it runs Rock Slide.
Donphan - My own Donphan. Rotom lols at those not running Assurance (or even those running assurance if it's got a sub up)
Mesprit - Umbreon/Rotom.
Milotic - Now that I've played a few more games, I absolutely despise Milotic. It just sits there forever and never dies.
Nidoqueen - Taunt from Sneasel, everything else can hit pretty hard.
Quagsire - Rotom. They'll never see it coming.
Regirock - Hard to take down, especially in a sandstorm. Can set up against non-Sneasels.
Registeel - Fairly serious threat. Rotom can set up, everything else gets paralyzed.
Rotom - Sceptile, Umbreon, or my own Rotom.
Slowbro - Umbreon, Sceptile, Rotom. Pick your poison.
Spiritomb - ResTalk sets do well against most of my pokes. Rotom and Sceptile might eventually pull through.
Umbreon - Donphan or Sceptile. Potentially troublemaking.
Uxie - Donphan's useless, Hypno can only paralyze, and everything else does fairly well.
Weezing - Better hope Hypno's still around.
I haven't made a decent team for a while. I've coasted on the success of my Sunny Day team (although I'm still looking for a Cresselia replacement), and many of my attempts at a "normal" team have not been so great. They all lacked synergy. So I sat down and thought, what does it take to win? To win, you've got to counter all your threats. And with that in mind, I decided to make a team whose theme was simply winning, and could counter most of UU's premier threats. It's definitely not perfect, but I've gotten a pretty solid lineup. So, here goes:
At a Glance
In-Depth
Sneasel: My Anti-Froslass @ Focus Sash
Ability: Inner Focus
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Counter
- Pursuit
- Taunt
- Fake Out
The Mindset
This Sneasel set, though taken straight from the Strategy Dex, is a perfect antilead. I realized (with a bit of help from a thread in the UU subforum) that instead of Taunting and Pursuiting with Ambipom, I could Taunt and Pursuit with something that not only gained a STAB on pursuit but that resisted Ice Beam. Even better, it can Fake Out and serve as a Sash Counterer that nobody sees coming.
The Moves
Counter combines with Inner Focus, Sneasel's pitiful defenses, and the Focus Sash to create an excellent counterlead. I can simply select Counter on the first turn and watch enemy Ambipoms kill themselves with Fake Out. Additionally, after Taunting Uxies, I can Counter the U-Turn and KO the switch-in. Sneasel can also be put into the reserves and used to strike back at physical sweepers like Swellow if I can keep rocks and spikes away.
Pursuit is a no-brainer. After Taunting Froslass, I can Pursuit for great justice. Alternatively, against people who know what's going down, I can simply Pursuit on the switch, bringing it to 1 hp. It serves as a decent STAB against psychics and will maim or kill Mismagius later in the game.
Taunt is an absolute must. The purpose of an antilead is to prevent leads from acting, and in the entry hazard-rich field of UU play, there are plenty of rockers and spikers, all of which are slower than Sneasel.
Fake Out is the final, somewhat questionable move on the set. It could probably be replaced with something better. It does break sashes, though most leads don't use them and the occasional Sharpedo will break my sash in return with Rough Skin. Sneasel is exactly as fast as Ambipom to boot, and is better served by Countering than trying to win a speed tie for some piddling damage.
Sceptile: My Anti-Moltres @ Life Orb
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
The Mindset
SD Sceptile is an excellent pokémon. It is outsped in UU only by Swellow and Electrode, though it ties with Dugtrio and Alakazam. It also outspeeds scarfed or otherwise boosted Base 80's like DD Altaria. One of the primary reasons that I chose Sceptile, however, is the fact that it absolutely destroys Moltres. An unboosted Rock Slide will KO a slightly damaged Moltres or bring a fully healthy one down so low that a priority move or LO recoil will kill it. Sceptile can also counter Raikou, and can OHKO Venusaur after two dances (which isn't as far-fetched as it sounds, since I can make Venusaur sleep if I want, and most stay in without fearing Sceptile).
The Moves
Swords Dance is essential to the set. The lack of coverage from X-Scissor won't be missed, because Sceptile already has perfect (I think) neutral coverage, as well as good SE coverage. After one swords dance, Sceptile takes over two-thirds of Venusaur's health with Earthquake, and will OHKO a good portion of the metagame. A second Dance if I can get one makes Sceptile practically untouchable.
Leaf Blade provides a physical STAB, it's as simple as that. It also gains power when Sceptile is about to die and Overgrow activates. Leaf Blade teams up with Rock Slide to provide excellent coverage.
Earthquake is almost obligatory. One of the best moves in the game since the beginning, it provides great damage, perfect accuracy, and good SE coverage. It's less powerful with all the Levitating ghosts around nowadays, but Sceptile can handily demolish pretty much any levitator but Weezing with its other attacks. Earthquake plays important roles in dishing out the hurt to Venusaur and Raikou.
Rock Slide is vital to the set, because it allows Sceptile to counter Moltres. It's a guaranteed OHKO after SR damage, LO Recoil, or one Swords Dance. Many Moltres users don't see it coming, letting me turn the burning turkey into a non-issue.
Donphan: My Anti-Swellow @ Leftovers
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -Spd)
- Rapid Spin
- Earthquake
- Ice Shard
- Assurance
The Mindset
Most teams need a spinner (I was going to say all before I remembered my Sunny Day team). Possibly the best spinner in UU is Donphan, who I selected largely for its ability to counter Guts Swellow. Donphan also plays a role in setting up Stealth Rock, which can curtail any future sweeps by the ever-dangerous Swellow and Moltres.
The Moves
Rapid Spin is the reason Donphan got on this team. My pokes aren't especially hazard-weak, though Rotom doesn't appreciate rocks and Sneasel would like to keep its sash intact. At any rate, keeping entry hazards in is a Bad Thing.
Earthquake needs little explanation. 100 BP STAB with good coverage and 100% accuracy, coming off 372 attack? Count me in!
Ice Shard is vital for its Swellow-countering properties. Guts Swellow and Donphan will take away about two-thirds of each others' health. Donphan, however, has priority, isn't poisoned, and can set up rocks to kill Swellow on its return should it switch out. Another sweeper bites the dust.
Currently going with Assurance over Stealth Rock. It's a tradeoff, not having hazards, and I'm not sure if it's totally worth it. I might start loving Assurance the next time an Uxie or Mismagius switches in, though.
Rotom: My Anti-SubStall @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Charge Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Shadow Ball
The Mindset
Rotom is useful in not only blocking substallers and statusers, but spinblocking as well. This particular set has two bonuses in that it can set up while it walls and Substitute + HP Grass allows me to deal with enemy Dugtrio and Rhyperior. The lack of Thunderbolt is lamentable, but that's a small price to pay for such a useful setup.
The Moves
Substitute makes this setup work. Rotom is actually pretty fast for the UU tier, beating out Moltres by 1 base speed. This allows it to block status from pretty much anything, as well as slower SubSeeders. From behind the substitute, Rotom is free to use...
Charge Beam is the bread and butter of this set against stallers, especially SubStallers. Though it is a fairly weak attack, even with STAB, the Satk boosts make it worth it. Note, however, that the lack of Thunderbolt means Rotom can't eventually 2HKO Chansey. Not that it really needs to, since Chansey can't do much back.
Hidden Power [Grass] allows Rotom to KO Donphans, Dugtrios, and Rhyperiors that think they can walk into a Charge Beam and force a switch. Again, this leaves Rotom unable to perform the niche operation of 2HKO'ing Chansey at +6.
Shadow Ball serves as a secondary STAB and more powerful move against those neutral to all of Rotom's attacks. It KO's ghosts that come in to take Rotom down. Substitute prediction is essential here, as with a sub up, it will win vs a lot of things with Shadow Ball, and with the sub down, it loses.
Umbreon: My Anti-Setup @ Leftovers
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Curse
- Sucker Punch
- Yawn
- Pursuit
The Mindset
This is an Umbreon set of my own devising. I mean, I'm sure someone has run it before me at one point, but whatever. It's nonstandard, at any rate. Unlike the other mons, Umbreon isn't tailored to counter a specific threat, but rather to sit there and screw with my opponent. The Curse/Sucker Punch combo is deadly, and Umbreon manages to be a nuisance and Curse up enough that Leftovers make up somewhat for the lack of a recovery move. In fact, most of Umbreon's deaths come from Toxic. Additionally, Synchronize can make Umbreon a pain for Registeels and Venusaurs.
The Moves
Curse is extremely useful, and the drop in speed doesn't really impact Umbreon. The defense boost changes Umbreon from a special tank with good defenses to an all-out tank, and the attack boost gives more power to the fairly weak offensive moveset, especially against stallers.
Sucker Punch is an excellent, and unexpected, addition to Umbreon's arsenal. It acts as another check against Guts Swellow and other sweepers, and is an excellent STAB priority move that allows Umbreon to ignore its reduced speed against everything except other Sucker Punchers.
Yawn helps Umbreon stop setup mons in their tracks. Either they switch out and get nailed with pursuit or allow another curse, or they go to sleep and allow one of my pokes to set up. It's a crapshoot, but either Pursuit or Sucker Punch will be useful after a Yawn - Sucker Punch if I think they'll stay in for a final "screw you" before nodding off, and Pursuit if I think they'll escape status. Predicting right can be devastating.
Pursuit rounds out Umbreon's moveset, and is the only offensive move it can use against substallers and the like. In this role, it fails without a large number of curses, but where it really shines is pursuit trapping, where an enemy ghost or psychic is screwed if they switch and screwed if they stay in. Also useful if I can just flat-out predict a switch.
Hypno: My Anti-Venusaur @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 HP/56 Def/200 Spd
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psychic
- Wish
- Thunder Wave
The Mindset
For my final poke, I decided to find something decent with Insomnia to counter Venusaur. I found Hypno. Hypno beats scarf 'saurs with its high special defense, and can come in on a Sleep Powder then paralyze the switch-in. Calm Minds augment its special tankiness, as well as lend more power to Psychic. Hypno is sadly vulnerable to pursuit trappers and dark-types, though I haven't seen many pursuit trappers around, and Spiritomb is no longer in vogue with Cresselia gone.
The Moves
Calm Mind is your generic setup move. It turns Hypno into a slow, bulky special sweeper of sorts. It's also another option I can take against predicted Sucker Punches against paralyzed opponents and the like. While Hypno may seem fairly harmless, I've used it to sweep teams after they underestimated the power of a few Calm Minds.
Psychic is a generic powerful STAB. It also has the nice side-effect of lowering Sdef occasionally, and is nice in that it rips apart any Venusaur foolish enough to stay in. The major downside of Psychic is that it leaves Hypno vulnerable to Registeel and Dark types.
Wish lets Hypno play more of a utility role. It is notably effective in restoring health to Umbreon so it can keep on tanking. It can also be used on Hypno itself, though the lack of Protect means it's less effective in this role. It can, however, let Hypno get in enough Calm Minds against a special threat to make them a non-issue.
Thunder Wave makes an excellent combo with Insomnia against Venusaurs, allowing Hypno to spread debilitating paralysis among the enemy. On later switch-ins against sleepers, I can use Psychic to hit the already-crippled poke meant to take the T-wave (or Venusaur. Or Hitmonlee. It all works out).
Final Thoughts
I'm not sure what to classify this team. I guess it's more balanced, though I tend to think pretty offensively. I've filled out a threat list, which may be less accurate for pokes I haven't seen a lot/at all, which is a decent number, seeing as the team isn't real old. I notice that I've got a problem with Darks and Steels.
Threat List:
Offensive Threats
Defensive Threats
