Greetings! This is my first RMT in a long, long time. I couldn't even remember my old account info. I haven't played since Gen 4, so I'm incredibly rusty and out of touch with competitive battling. I've been trying to put together a UU team to start with; something that I can begin to improve and work into OU and RU from.
A quick disclaimer: I realize that this is a competitive battling forum, and some of my justifications boil down to "I just really like this Pokemon" -- but for me the fun in the game is trying to use Pokemon that I like a lot and make them / the team as competitive as possible. I've never been one to use standard meta-game powerhouses simply for the sake of it; I have to like them beyond just their numbers. I know that this will turn some people off, but for those that can abide it, thanks for bearing with me.
That being said, the basis of my team was simply taking Pokemon that I liked a lot, and then trying to build around them / fill in the gaps. I'm very unsure of slots #5 and #6, and would especially appreciate suggestions for Pokemon that might fill those slots better.
Absol @ Absolite
Jolly
Justified
4HP / 252ATK / 252SPE
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Swords Dance
- Baton Pass
Absol is my favorite Pokemon, and when I found out that he had a mega evolution I had to find a way to put together a team around him. I was unsure about a Jolly or Naive nature with Fire Blast, but in the end decided that even though he does have a decent Special Attack, I felt more comfortable maximizing on his physical attack and slotting in Baton Pass for the opportunity to boost some of his bulkier teammates. He is paper-frail, yes, but can be quite deadly and gives both Dusknoir and Donphan the opportunity to hit like a truck. I generally lead with him, evolve on turn one, and either pass off immediately or set up if I'm against a hazard setter. I think my favorite experience with him in a random WiFi battle so far was coming in against a Ferrothorn lead, bouncing back hazards while being afforded the opportunity to Swords Dance twice, Baton Passing to Dusknoir on a random Protect, and then OHKO'ing with Fire Punch. Which leads me to....
Dusknoir @ Life Orb
Adamant
Pressure
252HP / 252ATK / 4SPE
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Punch
- Fire Punch
Another favorite of mine from back in Gen IV. I see that he has fallen greatly in terms of usage, but I still wanted to find a way to make him work, and in the battles I've had so far he's certainly been pulling his own weight. Loves Swords Dances from Absol; I had a hard time settling on Shadow Punch and Fire Punch -- Thunder Punch was very tempting, as was the prospect of a priority STAB move, but as it is I'm trying one that will hit harder, despite Dusknoir's low speed. Life Orb seems like an odd choice on him, likely, but it seems that I often find the opportunity to Pain Split on a full-HP opponent just when Dusknoir is nearing death. Will-O-Wisp and his immunity work nicely on many Fighting types that want to switch into Absol.
Donphan @ Assault Vest
Adamant
Sturdy
252HP / 252ATK / 4DEF
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Thunder Fang
- Ice Shard
Donphan is awesome to me; I had originally planned on using him as my Rapid Spinner while sticking to the general "bulky attacker" theme that most of my team follows. This got changed up a bit when I slotted Forretress in, but as I mentioned above, that is one that I'm still not sold on, so if Forretress goes then Thunder Fang will go back to Rapid Spin. As it is, it affords me some nice coverage against Pokemon that aren't expecting it. He never wants to take a water attack, of course, but Sturdy ensures he won't die in one hit, and Thunder Fang can come back with some serious damage in response. All the same, I am considering Stone Edge in this slot.
Milotic @ Leftovers
Bold
Marvel Scale
252HP / 252DEF / 4SpD
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Tail
- Recover
Milotic is your typical bulky water, I suppose, but also happens to be my favorite. She can really take a beating. Nature and EV spread are to maximize physical defense in order to keep her somewhat balanced. She's fairly predictable, I realize, also seems to be very reliable. She pulls her weight, can burn and phaze physical sweepers, and can rack up hazard damage on the opponent if she follows Forretress.
Forretress @ Rocky Helmet
Relaxed
Sturdy
252HP / 252DEF / 4SpD
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
This guy made his appearance after I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get a Donphan with Stealth Rock, as was my original plan. I'm still unsure how important Stealth Rock even is to me. I know it's regarded as mandatory by many, but out of everyone on my team Forretress has probably done the least for me in the random WiFi battles I've had so far. He has massive defense, yes, but still tends to die without accomplishing a whole lot apart from setting rocks. Should I replace him, perhaps, and give Rapid Spin back to Donphan?
Celebi @ Leftovers
Timid
Natural Cure
4DEF / 252SpA / 252SPE
- Psychic
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power (Fire)
- Recover
Celebi is another slot that just sort of got dropped in for coverage's sake. He's bulky and can still pose a threat offensively, which I like. Psychic and Leaf Storm gives me coverage that I don't have anywhere else on my team. He has done okay in my small amount of testing, however he's weak to an awful lot and there have been just as many matches that have left me wondering who I should replace him with. Maybe I should have gone for a more cleric-like set with him? Or should I replace him entirely?
Thank you in advance for checking my team out, and for any comments or suggestions that you can leave me with. Like I said, I've been away for so long that I'm unfamiliar with most of the threats and I feel like there are probably some huge, glaring gaps in my coverage offensively, defensively, or both. What Pokemon can wipe me out and how should I compensate for that?
Cheers!
A quick disclaimer: I realize that this is a competitive battling forum, and some of my justifications boil down to "I just really like this Pokemon" -- but for me the fun in the game is trying to use Pokemon that I like a lot and make them / the team as competitive as possible. I've never been one to use standard meta-game powerhouses simply for the sake of it; I have to like them beyond just their numbers. I know that this will turn some people off, but for those that can abide it, thanks for bearing with me.
That being said, the basis of my team was simply taking Pokemon that I liked a lot, and then trying to build around them / fill in the gaps. I'm very unsure of slots #5 and #6, and would especially appreciate suggestions for Pokemon that might fill those slots better.
Absol @ Absolite
Jolly
Justified
4HP / 252ATK / 252SPE
- Sucker Punch
- Play Rough
- Swords Dance
- Baton Pass
Absol is my favorite Pokemon, and when I found out that he had a mega evolution I had to find a way to put together a team around him. I was unsure about a Jolly or Naive nature with Fire Blast, but in the end decided that even though he does have a decent Special Attack, I felt more comfortable maximizing on his physical attack and slotting in Baton Pass for the opportunity to boost some of his bulkier teammates. He is paper-frail, yes, but can be quite deadly and gives both Dusknoir and Donphan the opportunity to hit like a truck. I generally lead with him, evolve on turn one, and either pass off immediately or set up if I'm against a hazard setter. I think my favorite experience with him in a random WiFi battle so far was coming in against a Ferrothorn lead, bouncing back hazards while being afforded the opportunity to Swords Dance twice, Baton Passing to Dusknoir on a random Protect, and then OHKO'ing with Fire Punch. Which leads me to....
Dusknoir @ Life Orb
Adamant
Pressure
252HP / 252ATK / 4SPE
- Pain Split
- Will-O-Wisp
- Shadow Punch
- Fire Punch
Another favorite of mine from back in Gen IV. I see that he has fallen greatly in terms of usage, but I still wanted to find a way to make him work, and in the battles I've had so far he's certainly been pulling his own weight. Loves Swords Dances from Absol; I had a hard time settling on Shadow Punch and Fire Punch -- Thunder Punch was very tempting, as was the prospect of a priority STAB move, but as it is I'm trying one that will hit harder, despite Dusknoir's low speed. Life Orb seems like an odd choice on him, likely, but it seems that I often find the opportunity to Pain Split on a full-HP opponent just when Dusknoir is nearing death. Will-O-Wisp and his immunity work nicely on many Fighting types that want to switch into Absol.
Donphan @ Assault Vest
Adamant
Sturdy
252HP / 252ATK / 4DEF
- Earthquake
- Knock Off
- Thunder Fang
- Ice Shard
Donphan is awesome to me; I had originally planned on using him as my Rapid Spinner while sticking to the general "bulky attacker" theme that most of my team follows. This got changed up a bit when I slotted Forretress in, but as I mentioned above, that is one that I'm still not sold on, so if Forretress goes then Thunder Fang will go back to Rapid Spin. As it is, it affords me some nice coverage against Pokemon that aren't expecting it. He never wants to take a water attack, of course, but Sturdy ensures he won't die in one hit, and Thunder Fang can come back with some serious damage in response. All the same, I am considering Stone Edge in this slot.
Milotic @ Leftovers
Bold
Marvel Scale
252HP / 252DEF / 4SpD
- Scald
- Ice Beam
- Dragon Tail
- Recover
Milotic is your typical bulky water, I suppose, but also happens to be my favorite. She can really take a beating. Nature and EV spread are to maximize physical defense in order to keep her somewhat balanced. She's fairly predictable, I realize, also seems to be very reliable. She pulls her weight, can burn and phaze physical sweepers, and can rack up hazard damage on the opponent if she follows Forretress.
Forretress @ Rocky Helmet
Relaxed
Sturdy
252HP / 252DEF / 4SpD
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Gyro Ball
- Volt Switch
This guy made his appearance after I realized that I wasn't going to be able to get a Donphan with Stealth Rock, as was my original plan. I'm still unsure how important Stealth Rock even is to me. I know it's regarded as mandatory by many, but out of everyone on my team Forretress has probably done the least for me in the random WiFi battles I've had so far. He has massive defense, yes, but still tends to die without accomplishing a whole lot apart from setting rocks. Should I replace him, perhaps, and give Rapid Spin back to Donphan?
Celebi @ Leftovers
Timid
Natural Cure
4DEF / 252SpA / 252SPE
- Psychic
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power (Fire)
- Recover
Celebi is another slot that just sort of got dropped in for coverage's sake. He's bulky and can still pose a threat offensively, which I like. Psychic and Leaf Storm gives me coverage that I don't have anywhere else on my team. He has done okay in my small amount of testing, however he's weak to an awful lot and there have been just as many matches that have left me wondering who I should replace him with. Maybe I should have gone for a more cleric-like set with him? Or should I replace him entirely?
Thank you in advance for checking my team out, and for any comments or suggestions that you can leave me with. Like I said, I've been away for so long that I'm unfamiliar with most of the threats and I feel like there are probably some huge, glaring gaps in my coverage offensively, defensively, or both. What Pokemon can wipe me out and how should I compensate for that?
Cheers!
