Howdy, fellow raters and team stealers, so today I've got a Dual RMT showing off two teams that are built around a really... fun mon to use in the tier, as well as my UU love child; Basculin! Now, I know what you're thinking, or perhaps I don't, but I'm quite aware Basculin is totally outclassed by Gatr offensively, but who cares, I feel like being a hipster!
So the two teams I built are pretty different, and I believe the second one is better, but both are fun to use, so I hope you give the based lord Basc a chance ^_^
I like Nujabes as it's really relaxing to listen to (and I'm a weeb), and this thing will probably be kinda long so relax and enjoy the ride!
Team #1 Basculin Bulky Offense
Of course we start off with the godly fish thing that is kinda neat.
Infernape was added next to be able to break through really fat steels and other bulky things that Basculin would struggle killing.
Next, I noticed that Salamence would be a huge issue for this team as well as other fast mons, so I decided to add this beautiful Kimono wearing thing to check Mence.
Wanted a way to remove hazards as well as a fire switchin, so MStoise fit the bill.
I noticed next that electric types mainly Lisk as well as Hydreigon absolutely shred me, so I threw on a SpDef Gligar to take those on.
Lastly, MowTom was added as a thing to prevent me from getting 6-0'd by water types, Feraligatr in particular.
So a few thoughts and statements going into this first team before I start, this is clearly meant to be a fun team since I'm using shit like Basculin, but mons actually serve purposes on the team, and I didn't just throw together some memes for shits and giggles :^) This team actually won a UU room tour, so it's not entirely shit.
Basculin @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aqua Jet
-Waterfall
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt
So here's the monster himself. Now when I was scrolling through mons that I could potentially use for an insane amount of fun as well as some effectiveness, Basculin in particular caught my eye. The reason I wanted to use Basculin was mainly because of Adaptability Aqua Jets. This package along with a Choice Band makes an extremely powerful priority that can do a good job of cleaning late game, as well as picking off some spooky threats such as MAero, Infernape, Mamoswine, Krookodile and basically any other mon that was weak to Aqua Jet. Next move was Waterfall that also gets the Adaptability boost which gives this thing a nice little bit of kick. After that, Basculin doesn't have a huge array of coverage options, but Zen Headbutt and Superpower hit quite a few things that would like to come in on water attacks like Lisk, Toxicroak, Empoleon and Hydreigon to name a few. This thing has a relatively decent speed tier of Base 98 (same as Hydreigon) so I can speed tie non scarf variants and massacre with banded Superpower. I'm not saying this thing is extraordinarily great as a wallbreaker, since it can't do jack shit to the likes of the ultra bulky mons like Cress and Cune, so the rest of this team was designed to help Basculin to it's thing.
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 27 HP
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Fire Blast
- Vacuum Wave
Next up, I added Infernape, because I knew Grasses and Steels would be difficult for Basculin to deal with. I believe this is almost the same set I used on my last RMT, and I believe it serves a pretty good purpose of busting open bulky shit. Originally it was NP Ape, but after realizing that Basculin really struggles dismantling things like Umbreon and Blissey that have WishTect, I changed it to mixed lickety split to give me a solid mixed attacker. The coverage is fairly standard, and the attack investment gives Close Combat a little more pop. Grass Knot is always nice as a way to hit stuff like Suicune, as Basculin is literally fodder for Cune unless I got 8 consecutive Zen flinchcrits. Also, having the Vacuum Wave priority is nice to hit the likes of ScarfDreigon that can cause problems, and I do like using priority attacks a good bit.
Froslass @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball
- Destiny Bond
- Trick
Ah, yes... the deliciousmeme innovation that is Scarf Froslass. So as ludicrous as it may seem, there's actually a reason behind ScarfLass. Looking at Ape and Basculin, you may notice that I'm total food to any common scarfer like Dreigon and Shao, as well as sweepers like Mega Shark, Gatr and most importantly, Salamence. Scarf Froslass has the role of revenge killing these things by either using its stabs, or with scarf DBond. Believe it or not, it actually works because nobody expects this thing. Even with a meager 80 base special attack stat, it has enough fire power to take down weakened threats, and serves as a fantastic revenger and late game cleaner. Also, with Trick, I actually have a way to beat stuff like CM Cress and Reuni by crippling them with a delicious and fashionable scarf that prevents set and recovery.
In short; this is my catch-all for when shit gets rough. +1 Spe Mega Shark? ScarfLass, CM Cress? ScarfLass! DD Mence? You guessed it!
Overall, while Lass has poor stats, it's STAB combo hits the tier relatively hard, and this set of my own creation is one I'm very proud of.
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin
Next thing I wanted to add was a fire switch; namely for Entei, since that thing absolutely shreds me. I also wanted a way to get rid of hazards, so Mega Stoise was something that covered both fields. I honestly despise the lack of versatility in UU's hazard removal selection, but I'd say that Blaster is probably one of the best at its job along with Crobat and Mandibuzz since it can't be spinblocked because Stoise's coverage rapes Doublade and Chandelure. The EV spread here is totally standard since I had no experience using Blast before this. With Dark Pulse, I have the option of being able to do damage to those bulky psychics that really do a number on my team, Scald is for a solid STAB which should be Hydro Pump, but I'm a terrible person and like burning shit. The only downside to Blastoise being my fire check is that nasty 50% burn chance from Entei's Sacred Fire, making it extraordinarily to be a solid check to it once it's burnt.
Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-Turn
- Earthquake
- Roost
So at this point in my build, I need to patch up noticeable weaknesses to my team as well as adding necessities. A few things I needed still was a Stealth Rock user, an Electric check, a Hydreigon check, fighting check, Beedrill check and a ground switch in. SpDef Gligar fits these roles beautifully as it does all of the above. The one exception would be LO/Specs Hydreigon which can shit on this thing, but then it's not as big of a problem because I have Basc to speed tie, and Ape to outspeed and kill it off. I'm also a big fan of SpDef Gligar on offensive teams because it makes a wonderful pivot with U-Turn support. Gligar is set up fodder for quite a few mons however, but because I have Froslass to catch those things, I'm not overly worried about it.
Rotom-Mow @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Pain Split
Finally, Rotom-M was added to patch up the remainder of my noticeable weaknesses. This set was my by my good buddy Geopolitics who needs to stop being a bum and come out of retirement. But basically this thing lets me check Gatr as it can outspeed it, and either burn or kill it. The EV spread allows me to outspeed positive speed base 80's like Mamo so I can take a gigantic hit from Ice Shard and then kill it with Leaf Storm. Rotom is also my blanket check to the fat waters in the tier, namely Suicune. Alternatively, I could run Specs to blow back +1 Cune, or Scarf to outspeed DD boosted Gatr, but I do like this spread because it gives me a decent pivot along with Gligar. This also gives me a solid ground check that doesn't suffer too much from being Knock Off unlike Gligar, which is appreciated.
I'll save my final thoughts for the end of the second team, but I'll leave the importable and threat list.
So the two teams I built are pretty different, and I believe the second one is better, but both are fun to use, so I hope you give the based lord Basc a chance ^_^
Team #1 Basculin Bulky Offense
Of course we start off with the godly fish thing that is kinda neat.
Infernape was added next to be able to break through really fat steels and other bulky things that Basculin would struggle killing.
Next, I noticed that Salamence would be a huge issue for this team as well as other fast mons, so I decided to add this beautiful Kimono wearing thing to check Mence.
Wanted a way to remove hazards as well as a fire switchin, so MStoise fit the bill.
I noticed next that electric types mainly Lisk as well as Hydreigon absolutely shred me, so I threw on a SpDef Gligar to take those on.
Lastly, MowTom was added as a thing to prevent me from getting 6-0'd by water types, Feraligatr in particular.
Basculin @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aqua Jet
-Waterfall
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt
So here's the monster himself. Now when I was scrolling through mons that I could potentially use for an insane amount of fun as well as some effectiveness, Basculin in particular caught my eye. The reason I wanted to use Basculin was mainly because of Adaptability Aqua Jets. This package along with a Choice Band makes an extremely powerful priority that can do a good job of cleaning late game, as well as picking off some spooky threats such as MAero, Infernape, Mamoswine, Krookodile and basically any other mon that was weak to Aqua Jet. Next move was Waterfall that also gets the Adaptability boost which gives this thing a nice little bit of kick. After that, Basculin doesn't have a huge array of coverage options, but Zen Headbutt and Superpower hit quite a few things that would like to come in on water attacks like Lisk, Toxicroak, Empoleon and Hydreigon to name a few. This thing has a relatively decent speed tier of Base 98 (same as Hydreigon) so I can speed tie non scarf variants and massacre with banded Superpower. I'm not saying this thing is extraordinarily great as a wallbreaker, since it can't do jack shit to the likes of the ultra bulky mons like Cress and Cune, so the rest of this team was designed to help Basculin to it's thing.
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 27 HP
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Fire Blast
- Vacuum Wave
Next up, I added Infernape, because I knew Grasses and Steels would be difficult for Basculin to deal with. I believe this is almost the same set I used on my last RMT, and I believe it serves a pretty good purpose of busting open bulky shit. Originally it was NP Ape, but after realizing that Basculin really struggles dismantling things like Umbreon and Blissey that have WishTect, I changed it to mixed lickety split to give me a solid mixed attacker. The coverage is fairly standard, and the attack investment gives Close Combat a little more pop. Grass Knot is always nice as a way to hit stuff like Suicune, as Basculin is literally fodder for Cune unless I got 8 consecutive Zen flinchcrits. Also, having the Vacuum Wave priority is nice to hit the likes of ScarfDreigon that can cause problems, and I do like using priority attacks a good bit.
Froslass @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Shadow Ball
- Destiny Bond
- Trick
Ah, yes... the delicious
In short; this is my catch-all for when shit gets rough. +1 Spe Mega Shark? ScarfLass, CM Cress? ScarfLass! DD Mence? You guessed it!
Overall, while Lass has poor stats, it's STAB combo hits the tier relatively hard, and this set of my own creation is one I'm very proud of.
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Aura Sphere
- Dark Pulse
- Rapid Spin
Next thing I wanted to add was a fire switch; namely for Entei, since that thing absolutely shreds me. I also wanted a way to get rid of hazards, so Mega Stoise was something that covered both fields. I honestly despise the lack of versatility in UU's hazard removal selection, but I'd say that Blaster is probably one of the best at its job along with Crobat and Mandibuzz since it can't be spinblocked because Stoise's coverage rapes Doublade and Chandelure. The EV spread here is totally standard since I had no experience using Blast before this. With Dark Pulse, I have the option of being able to do damage to those bulky psychics that really do a number on my team, Scald is for a solid STAB which should be Hydro Pump, but I'm a terrible person and like burning shit. The only downside to Blastoise being my fire check is that nasty 50% burn chance from Entei's Sacred Fire, making it extraordinarily to be a solid check to it once it's burnt.
Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-Turn
- Earthquake
- Roost
So at this point in my build, I need to patch up noticeable weaknesses to my team as well as adding necessities. A few things I needed still was a Stealth Rock user, an Electric check, a Hydreigon check, fighting check, Beedrill check and a ground switch in. SpDef Gligar fits these roles beautifully as it does all of the above. The one exception would be LO/Specs Hydreigon which can shit on this thing, but then it's not as big of a problem because I have Basc to speed tie, and Ape to outspeed and kill it off. I'm also a big fan of SpDef Gligar on offensive teams because it makes a wonderful pivot with U-Turn support. Gligar is set up fodder for quite a few mons however, but because I have Froslass to catch those things, I'm not overly worried about it.
Rotom-Mow @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Pain Split
Finally, Rotom-M was added to patch up the remainder of my noticeable weaknesses. This set was my by my good buddy Geopolitics who needs to stop being a bum and come out of retirement. But basically this thing lets me check Gatr as it can outspeed it, and either burn or kill it. The EV spread allows me to outspeed positive speed base 80's like Mamo so I can take a gigantic hit from Ice Shard and then kill it with Leaf Storm. Rotom is also my blanket check to the fat waters in the tier, namely Suicune. Alternatively, I could run Specs to blow back +1 Cune, or Scarf to outspeed DD boosted Gatr, but I do like this spread because it gives me a decent pivot along with Gligar. This also gives me a solid ground check that doesn't suffer too much from being Knock Off unlike Gligar, which is appreciated.
I'll save my final thoughts for the end of the second team, but I'll leave the importable and threat list.
Basculin-Blue-Striped @ Choice Band
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 27 HP
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Fire Blast
- Vacuum Wave
Froslass @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond
- Trick
- Shadow Ball
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
- Dark Pulse
Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Roost
Rotom-Mow @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Pain Split
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Waterfall
- Superpower
- Zen Headbutt
Infernape @ Life Orb
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 24 Atk / 232 SpA / 252 Spe
Naive Nature
IVs: 27 HP
- Close Combat
- Grass Knot
- Fire Blast
- Vacuum Wave
Froslass @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Ice Beam
- Destiny Bond
- Trick
- Shadow Ball
Blastoise @ Blastoisinite
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 56 HP / 252 SpA / 200 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Scald
- Aura Sphere
- Rapid Spin
- Dark Pulse
Gligar @ Eviolite
Ability: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 88 Def / 168 SpD
Careful Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Earthquake
- Roost
Rotom-Mow @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 48 HP / 252 SpA / 208 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Will-O-Wisp
- Volt Switch
- Leaf Storm
- Pain Split
Team #2 Basculin Hyper Offense
Alright, so with this team, I definitely did some a little more innovating, and I have to say that this is also my UU lovechild on steroids as it contains my 3 favorite/most commonly used mons in the tier in Basc, Lisk and Mence.
But anyways, before I built this team, I was in a serious rut, where my new teams weren't performing well, and I was also majorly tilting, so I decided that making a really fun team would give me a breather so that I could get back to making more solid squads.
Also, I was inspired to build this team even more after seeing Euphonos 's Marill RMT, so cheers mang :]
Without further ado, let's get into something really cool!
Once again starting off with the star of the show.
Added PorygonZ to break down bulky cores that Basc can't break
Lisk next so that I don't get annihilated by Suicune
Aggron was added as a bulky pivot that could set up rocks, and blanket check a ton of threats
Intimidate Mence added to serve as a fighting check and defog support
Mienshao added at the end to serve as a revenger/cleaner/Mien check since those always shit on my new teams
Basculin @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / Null Atk
- Agility
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Endeavor
Now here, we have some beautiful innovation, that I'm extremely proud to say that I created on my own. Agility Basculin serves as a really cool late game cleaner, and even with base 80 Special Attack, Life Orb boosted SE Ice Beams, and Adaptability Surf does a pretty solid chunk to most mons. Endeavor was added as the last option to give me a way to break down really bulky things if Basc is looking low on health, so that they can be revenge killed. Other options could be Taunt or Aqua Jet, but I think Endeavor is pretty sick, so I'm running that. Unfortunately, Basculin can't learn Hydro Pump, so Surf is my strongest STAB option, but it still hits things really hard, and fares best against offensive mons. With Agility, Basculin can clear through a team, and all you need to do is find a window to set up.
And yeah, I know Special Agility Gatr would do the job better, but then you can't say that you swept some fucker with a Basculin in UU!
Porygon-Z @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 SpA / 96 Spe
Rash Nature
- Frustration
- Tri Attack
- Recover
- Shadow Ball
The innovation continues! First of all shoutout to Kiyo who I saw use this set in UU Open, and it's pretty dank. So this set is a real beauty, that does basically one job, and that is to break apart bulky mons that would give Basculin and the rest of my team problems. Mixed PZ lures in stuff like Blissey and Florges which wall the shit out of Basculin, and in Florges' case the majority of my team, and can 2HKO them! With Silk Scarf, Adaptability, and 252 attack EVs, this thing can really put a dent in bulky cores, and let Mienshao and Basculin slide in to clean up the game. If you don't believe a word that I'm saying, then I'll provide some calcs at the end of this description. But with the moves, Adaptability + Silk Scarf Frustration and Tri Attack really tear apart a ton of mons. Recover is there to be able to 1v1 mons that rely on Wish and Protect for recovery, as well as being able to sustain itself when PZ can force a switchout. Finally, Shadow Ball is added to be able to hit the spooky ghosts that would otherwise completely wall the shit out of this thing. Alternatively, Double-Edge could be ran over Frustration to guarantee a 2HKO on Blissey (Return does 49% min), but I prefer to not get whittled by recoil, and Frustration hits plenty hard.
Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 15 HP / 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
First of all, IV's give me a Life Orb number, and also minimize Foul Play Damage. Aaanyways, Lisk is my Suicune check of choice, and I tend to run this thing on a lot of my teams, and I have this or Rotom-M on all but one of them :^). But yeah, Lisk is a magnificent answer to bulky waters because of Dry Skin immunity, and Lisk has the coverage backed by Life Orb to hit the tier exceptionally hard. This thing has a really nice speed tier, TBolt and HVoice give me strong STABs while Volt Switch gives me some delicious momentum, and Grass Knot blows back the ground types of the tier minus Nidos.
Aggron-Mega @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 224 HP / 32 Def / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
Looking at what I have so far, I do get shredded by anything that can get a speed boost, so adding a bulky pivot Aggron sounded like a solid idea. What Aggron gives me is a thing that can take hits from both sides of the spectrum, throw out some Mexican sunshine to slow things down, and put up rocks, while having offensive presence. This serves as my check to fairies like Florges which is really hard to kill if I lose Aggron, and impossible if PZ is also dead, and also prevents me from getting outright rekt by boosted Gatrs and Mences. This spread I stole from Euphonos 's RMT, and is just relatively good at pivoting around. The only downside to Aggron is that a lack of of reliable recovery makes it extremely hard to sustain for the entirety of the match. Also, I'd like to add this is my first time using Aggron in the tier, and I'm pretty happy with what it can do.
Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
Along with Lisk, I probably run this thing on a good portion of my teams. Offensive Defog Mence is my favorite Defogger in the meta because of it's immense offensive presence paired with good bulk with Intimidate + Roost. Mence serves as my fighting check, and as long as I don't get caught on the wrong side of a Stone Edge, does the job very well. Another minor thing to add is that Mence is pretty much a hard counter to Doublade, as it can tank a +1 Iron Head and blow it away with Life Orb boosted Fire Blast. Lastly, this gives me a fantastic Krook check, even though the other grounds in the tier can blow this thing up with Ice coverage. Overall, I absolutely adore this set, and use it way too much, but I think that's just a testament of how solid the set works in the current metagame.
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
The last slot on this team goes to Mienshao because I noticed that this team can't easily break Porygon2 which is significantly more popular these days, as well as other fat shit like Umbreon. Aside from that, the team also needed a revenge killer, which Mienshao does unbelievably well, and also gives me an offensive check to stuff like Mega Shark, Gatr, Mence and Beedrill that can overwhelm the team if Aggron is weakened. Overall, Shao just rounds the team out extremely well, and as long as it doesn't miss, having a spammable base 130 *1.2 boosted STAB move is incredibly overwhelming in the end game.Also serves as my Mienshao counter b/c I win speed ties.
So this is the team, it's a whole lot of fun to use, and uses some really cool sets that catch people off guard (because everyone expects Banded Fishy).
- I have absolutely no switchins, but can be broken down with SE hits
- Extremely difficult to kill. Weaken with Endeavor or with PZ and pray like fuck you can pick it off somehow
- Really hard to switch in on, but is frail and can be handled if Aggron is healthy, or by pressuring with Mienshao
- Electrics kinda shred me if played right since I have no immunities. Die pretty easily however to just about everything on the team.
- Really annoying to kill because generally paired with fighting resist/immunity and protects on HJKs
- Does a lot of damage if given the chance, but is pressured by 4/6 mons on the team
Well that's it! Two teams featuring a Pokemon that isn't even underrated, but entirely unrated! Basculin is really fun to useand will move to UU once gatr is banned and even though it's outclassed, it has certain merits over its Scaly, non-fish, counterpart. Overall, I'm really impressed by how the mon actually does in the tier, and it shows that with the right support, just about any mon can be used well in the tier!
Alright, so with this team, I definitely did some a little more innovating, and I have to say that this is also my UU lovechild on steroids as it contains my 3 favorite/most commonly used mons in the tier in Basc, Lisk and Mence.
But anyways, before I built this team, I was in a serious rut, where my new teams weren't performing well, and I was also majorly tilting, so I decided that making a really fun team would give me a breather so that I could get back to making more solid squads.
Also, I was inspired to build this team even more after seeing Euphonos 's Marill RMT, so cheers mang :]
Without further ado, let's get into something really cool!
Once again starting off with the star of the show.
Added PorygonZ to break down bulky cores that Basc can't break
Lisk next so that I don't get annihilated by Suicune
Aggron was added as a bulky pivot that could set up rocks, and blanket check a ton of threats
Intimidate Mence added to serve as a fighting check and defog support
Mienshao added at the end to serve as a revenger/cleaner/Mien check since those always shit on my new teams
Basculin @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / Null Atk
- Agility
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Endeavor
Now here, we have some beautiful innovation, that I'm extremely proud to say that I created on my own. Agility Basculin serves as a really cool late game cleaner, and even with base 80 Special Attack, Life Orb boosted SE Ice Beams, and Adaptability Surf does a pretty solid chunk to most mons. Endeavor was added as the last option to give me a way to break down really bulky things if Basc is looking low on health, so that they can be revenge killed. Other options could be Taunt or Aqua Jet, but I think Endeavor is pretty sick, so I'm running that. Unfortunately, Basculin can't learn Hydro Pump, so Surf is my strongest STAB option, but it still hits things really hard, and fares best against offensive mons. With Agility, Basculin can clear through a team, and all you need to do is find a window to set up.
And yeah, I know Special Agility Gatr would do the job better, but then you can't say that you swept some fucker with a Basculin in UU!
Porygon-Z @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 SpA / 96 Spe
Rash Nature
- Frustration
- Tri Attack
- Recover
- Shadow Ball
The innovation continues! First of all shoutout to Kiyo who I saw use this set in UU Open, and it's pretty dank. So this set is a real beauty, that does basically one job, and that is to break apart bulky mons that would give Basculin and the rest of my team problems. Mixed PZ lures in stuff like Blissey and Florges which wall the shit out of Basculin, and in Florges' case the majority of my team, and can 2HKO them! With Silk Scarf, Adaptability, and 252 attack EVs, this thing can really put a dent in bulky cores, and let Mienshao and Basculin slide in to clean up the game. If you don't believe a word that I'm saying, then I'll provide some calcs at the end of this description. But with the moves, Adaptability + Silk Scarf Frustration and Tri Attack really tear apart a ton of mons. Recover is there to be able to 1v1 mons that rely on Wish and Protect for recovery, as well as being able to sustain itself when PZ can force a switchout. Finally, Shadow Ball is added to be able to hit the spooky ghosts that would otherwise completely wall the shit out of this thing. Alternatively, Double-Edge could be ran over Frustration to guarantee a 2HKO on Blissey (Return does 49% min), but I prefer to not get whittled by recoil, and Frustration hits plenty hard.
252 Atk Silk Scarf Adaptability Porygon-Z Return vs. 252 HP / 232 Def Florges: 198-234 (55 - 65%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Silk Scarf Adaptability Porygon-Z Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 350-412 (49 - 57.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Silk Scarf Adaptability Porygon-Z Return vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Umbreon: 178-210 (45.1 - 53.2%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
176+ SpA Silk Scarf Adaptability Porygon-Z Tri Attack vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Umbreon: 180-212 (45.6 - 53.8%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Silk Scarf Adaptability Porygon-Z Return vs. 252 HP / 252+ Def Blissey: 350-412 (49 - 57.7%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
252 Atk Silk Scarf Adaptability Porygon-Z Return vs. 252 HP / 4 Def Umbreon: 178-210 (45.1 - 53.2%) -- 89.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
176+ SpA Silk Scarf Adaptability Porygon-Z Tri Attack vs. 252 HP / 0 SpD Umbreon: 180-212 (45.6 - 53.8%) -- 94.1% chance to 2HKO after Stealth Rock and Leftovers recovery
Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 15 HP / 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
First of all, IV's give me a Life Orb number, and also minimize Foul Play Damage. Aaanyways, Lisk is my Suicune check of choice, and I tend to run this thing on a lot of my teams, and I have this or Rotom-M on all but one of them :^). But yeah, Lisk is a magnificent answer to bulky waters because of Dry Skin immunity, and Lisk has the coverage backed by Life Orb to hit the tier exceptionally hard. This thing has a really nice speed tier, TBolt and HVoice give me strong STABs while Volt Switch gives me some delicious momentum, and Grass Knot blows back the ground types of the tier minus Nidos.
Aggron-Mega @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 224 HP / 32 Def / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
Looking at what I have so far, I do get shredded by anything that can get a speed boost, so adding a bulky pivot Aggron sounded like a solid idea. What Aggron gives me is a thing that can take hits from both sides of the spectrum, throw out some Mexican sunshine to slow things down, and put up rocks, while having offensive presence. This serves as my check to fairies like Florges which is really hard to kill if I lose Aggron, and impossible if PZ is also dead, and also prevents me from getting outright rekt by boosted Gatrs and Mences. This spread I stole from Euphonos 's RMT, and is just relatively good at pivoting around. The only downside to Aggron is that a lack of of reliable recovery makes it extremely hard to sustain for the entirety of the match. Also, I'd like to add this is my first time using Aggron in the tier, and I'm pretty happy with what it can do.
Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
Along with Lisk, I probably run this thing on a good portion of my teams. Offensive Defog Mence is my favorite Defogger in the meta because of it's immense offensive presence paired with good bulk with Intimidate + Roost. Mence serves as my fighting check, and as long as I don't get caught on the wrong side of a Stone Edge, does the job very well. Another minor thing to add is that Mence is pretty much a hard counter to Doublade, as it can tank a +1 Iron Head and blow it away with Life Orb boosted Fire Blast. Lastly, this gives me a fantastic Krook check, even though the other grounds in the tier can blow this thing up with Ice coverage. Overall, I absolutely adore this set, and use it way too much, but I think that's just a testament of how solid the set works in the current metagame.
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
The last slot on this team goes to Mienshao because I noticed that this team can't easily break Porygon2 which is significantly more popular these days, as well as other fat shit like Umbreon. Aside from that, the team also needed a revenge killer, which Mienshao does unbelievably well, and also gives me an offensive check to stuff like Mega Shark, Gatr, Mence and Beedrill that can overwhelm the team if Aggron is weakened. Overall, Shao just rounds the team out extremely well, and as long as it doesn't miss, having a spammable base 130 *1.2 boosted STAB move is incredibly overwhelming in the end game.
So this is the team, it's a whole lot of fun to use, and uses some really cool sets that catch people off guard (because everyone expects Banded Fishy).
Basculin @ Life Orb
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Agility
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Endeavor
Porygon-Z @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 SpA / 96 Spe
Rash Nature
- Frustration
- Tri Attack
- Recover
- Shadow Ball
Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 15 HP / 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
Aggron-Mega @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 224 HP / 32 Def / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
Ability: Adaptability
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 29 HP / 0 Atk
- Agility
- Ice Beam
- Surf
- Endeavor
Porygon-Z @ Silk Scarf
Ability: Adaptability
Happiness: 0
EVs: 252 Atk / 160 SpA / 96 Spe
Rash Nature
- Frustration
- Tri Attack
- Recover
- Shadow Ball
Heliolisk @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 15 HP / 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
Aggron-Mega @ Aggronite
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 224 HP / 32 Def / 252 SpD
Impish Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Stealth Rock
- Heavy Slam
- Earthquake
Salamence @ Life Orb
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Roost
- Defog
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
Mienshao @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Reckless
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Stone Edge
- Knock Off
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-264285428 - PZ busts apart the opponent late
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-264274996 - Persevering after a Stone Miss
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-264370513 - Winning only because I forgot about Alo having Rocky Helmet
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-264384285 - Basculin actually doing the thing!
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-264274996 - Persevering after a Stone Miss
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-264370513 - Winning only because I forgot about Alo having Rocky Helmet
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/uu-264384285 - Basculin actually doing the thing!
Well that's it! Two teams featuring a Pokemon that isn't even underrated, but entirely unrated! Basculin is really fun to use
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