Nuke 'Em
Introduction:
Team Building Process
Like I said, UU started to become a bit stale for me and because of this I wanted to start a new team off with a mon / strat that wasn’t used a lot and could provide me with a sort of x-factor against a lot of the more common teams floating about. I had been thinking about using AgiliEmp for a while now and a friend, kuja20, had sparked my interest in it yet again, and that seemed like the perfect place to start, so that’s what I went with.
I realized that regular old LO AgiliEmp often didn’t have the direct power to consistently break through certain defensive cores, and as such I’d need some support. Again, I didn’t want to use regular means of support like the omnipresent Spikes and while talking to kuja we decided to try a NP Pass strat. After compiling a list of all the possible NP passers, we felt like Mew synergized the best with Empoleon, allowing the easiest way to get an NP off to Emp.
Because I’m relying on BP to support my sweeper of choice, I thought it was important that I had a secondary recipient that could take on threats that Empoleon might struggle with. Having my two receivers synergize type-wise would also be ideal so that I play mind games with my opponent when they try and predict who I’m passing to. Zapdos could take the ground and fighting attacks that plagued Emp, while in return Emp could set up on the rock and ice attacks aimed at Emp. Plus, at +2, both of them are special attacking monsters combined with their natural bulk, so it was a match made in heaven.
Although I decided to not support my sweepers with Spikes, Stealth Rock is almost always a necessity due to how welcomed that tiny bit of extra damage is for any offensive mon. Furthermore, I realized that if I couldn’t get a NP off for some reason, dedicated special walls would be a problem, so I needed a good physical presence. Rhyperior would fill both of those holes as well as bring some good resistances to the table, not to mention Rhyperior has always been the most consistent UU mon for me, always doing exactly what I need it to.
The team seemed to be coming together nicely, so it was time to just try and fill in some holes. A lot of special threats like Raikou, Zapdos, Mismagius, and Chandelure could really do a number on the team, so naturally I wanted a good counter for them. Instead of opting for the obvious choice though (Snorlax), I noticed that most of the team had really no way of keeping itself healthy, so something like Leech Seed or Wish would really be appreciated. Umbreon could fulfill almost every role Snorlax could as well as pass wishes around to Rhyperior, Mew, Emp and Zapdos, keeping them close to full health at all times and helping alleviate Zapdos’ SR weakness.
Lastly, to help put the finishing touches on, I felt a revenge killer and another physical presence would really complete the team. It’d provide me with a way to keep specific threats that could possibly break past my BO mons at bay and work with Rhyperior to make sure opposing special walls don’t make my life hell. With Snorlax and Umbreon being the premier special walls in UU, a Fighter was the obvious choice, and how could I go wrong with one of the best scarfers in UU, Heracross.
And with that, the team was finished. Unlike a lot of my other teams, I didn’t really have to change much because the team seemed to be pretty solid from the get-go. I’ve periodically tried a Snorlax > Umbreon a couple times, but the team just seems work better with the healing support of Umbreon.
Like I said, UU started to become a bit stale for me and because of this I wanted to start a new team off with a mon / strat that wasn’t used a lot and could provide me with a sort of x-factor against a lot of the more common teams floating about. I had been thinking about using AgiliEmp for a while now and a friend, kuja20, had sparked my interest in it yet again, and that seemed like the perfect place to start, so that’s what I went with.
I realized that regular old LO AgiliEmp often didn’t have the direct power to consistently break through certain defensive cores, and as such I’d need some support. Again, I didn’t want to use regular means of support like the omnipresent Spikes and while talking to kuja we decided to try a NP Pass strat. After compiling a list of all the possible NP passers, we felt like Mew synergized the best with Empoleon, allowing the easiest way to get an NP off to Emp.
Because I’m relying on BP to support my sweeper of choice, I thought it was important that I had a secondary recipient that could take on threats that Empoleon might struggle with. Having my two receivers synergize type-wise would also be ideal so that I play mind games with my opponent when they try and predict who I’m passing to. Zapdos could take the ground and fighting attacks that plagued Emp, while in return Emp could set up on the rock and ice attacks aimed at Emp. Plus, at +2, both of them are special attacking monsters combined with their natural bulk, so it was a match made in heaven.
Although I decided to not support my sweepers with Spikes, Stealth Rock is almost always a necessity due to how welcomed that tiny bit of extra damage is for any offensive mon. Furthermore, I realized that if I couldn’t get a NP off for some reason, dedicated special walls would be a problem, so I needed a good physical presence. Rhyperior would fill both of those holes as well as bring some good resistances to the table, not to mention Rhyperior has always been the most consistent UU mon for me, always doing exactly what I need it to.
The team seemed to be coming together nicely, so it was time to just try and fill in some holes. A lot of special threats like Raikou, Zapdos, Mismagius, and Chandelure could really do a number on the team, so naturally I wanted a good counter for them. Instead of opting for the obvious choice though (Snorlax), I noticed that most of the team had really no way of keeping itself healthy, so something like Leech Seed or Wish would really be appreciated. Umbreon could fulfill almost every role Snorlax could as well as pass wishes around to Rhyperior, Mew, Emp and Zapdos, keeping them close to full health at all times and helping alleviate Zapdos’ SR weakness.
Lastly, to help put the finishing touches on, I felt a revenge killer and another physical presence would really complete the team. It’d provide me with a way to keep specific threats that could possibly break past my BO mons at bay and work with Rhyperior to make sure opposing special walls don’t make my life hell. With Snorlax and Umbreon being the premier special walls in UU, a Fighter was the obvious choice, and how could I go wrong with one of the best scarfers in UU, Heracross.
And with that, the team was finished. Unlike a lot of my other teams, I didn’t really have to change much because the team seemed to be pretty solid from the get-go. I’ve periodically tried a Snorlax > Umbreon a couple times, but the team just seems work better with the healing support of Umbreon.
Rhyperior (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Solid Rock
EVs: 244 HP / 16 Atk / 236 SDef / 12 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Rock Blast
- Dragon Tail
Rhyperior is definitely the glue that holds this team together. It provides so many useful attributes for the team throughout the course of the match that I whole-heartedly believe it’s the most important member, even more so than my sweepers seeing as they’d probably be sitting ducks without what Rhyperior brings to the table. First of all, it’s my SR layer, which is always useful and really helps Heracross bust through a lot of teams that use Zapdos, Chandelure, etc. as their checks. Secondly, as I was saying before, a consistent physical presence is incredibly helpful when I’m abusing shit on the special side and Rhyperior is perfect for that. Between Rhyperior, Heracross and a little help from Umbreon (keeping them healthy), I can switch into the likes of Snorlax and Umbreon repeatedly, hopefully chipping away at their health in the process, until a sweep opportunity presents itself. Furthermore, Rhyperior’s bulk and typing gives me a good check to numerous things such as HP Ice Raikou / Zapdos, Stoutland, Chandelure, Victini, and Darmanitan. Lastly, and probably most importantly, is how good of a lure I’ve found Rhyperior to be. Rhyperior consistently lures in things like Flygon or Heracross and they also like to stay in on double switches, and when that happens it’s only better for me. With Solid Rock and Rhy’s natural bulk, even both of their SE attacks fail to do enough to take him out (Flygon doesn’t 2HKO) and in return Rhyperior can deal massive damage back with DTail and Rock Blast, respectively, which only helps dealing with these annoying threats even easier. As for the moveset and EVs, this is the spread I usually use. I gave him Adamant + 16 atk to give let him retain some of his attacking prowess, maxed out his special tanking abilities after that, and slapped on 12 spe evs to let him outrun other Rhyperior. Stealth Rock and EQ are mandatory, Rock Blast > SE to break subs, and DTail to help with Flygon and phase annoying threats like CurseLax.
Mew @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 172 HP / 24 Def / 136 SAtk / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Psyshock
- Ice Beam
- Baton Pass
The king of unpredictability. There’s so many sets that Mew can run that it’s crazy, ranging from bulkier sets like Taunt WoW and support, to more offensive sets like NP or SD. Well, for this team I decided to go a more non-conventional route and utilize a NP pass set. Continuing the theme of the team, Mew’s great natural bulk lets it switch in numerous times throughout a match, giving me multiple chances at giving either Zapdos or Emp a NP boost. The dark, psychic and bug attacks that are often aimed at Mew are also easily taken by Empoleon, making it even easier to get a BP off. Mew’s job usually starts a bit earlier than that, though, with it’s access to Psyshock. As if I couldn’t put enough emphasis on beating Snorlax, I usually try to set a NP up earlier in a match in hopes of luring it in, either swiftly 2HKOing it or basically rendering it useless the rest of the match. Mew also provides a good initial switch-in to fighters such as Cobalion and Hitmontop, which can be somewhat troublesome at times. Timid + 176 Spe lets me outspeed base 90s like Roserade, who I can OHKO with Psyshock, and pull off a fast BP. 136 SpA gives my attacks a nice boost and always breaks standard Cobalion’s subs. The rest of the EVs were thrown towards some bulk. I’ve been considering using Flamethrower > Ice Beam to help with Bronzong and Cobalion even more, but I like catching Krook with a +2 Ice Beam, so input on that would be nice.
Umbreon (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 212 HP / 80 Atk / 216 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Wish
- Protect
- Payback
- Toxic
Ah Umbreon; I used it on my first ever competitive team back in DPP and I’m using it again now. While my skill level has improved from then (at least I think), Umbreon’s job has yet to change in my eyes. It walls the hell out of most special threats and can toxic stall like a bitch with its great overall bulk and Wish + Protect. Speaking of Wish, it’s the main reason I’m using Umbreon > Snorlax. Every other mon on the team other than Zapdos has no real way of keeping their health up, and that’s where Umbreon comes in. Like I’ve mentioned, Umbreon’s defensive prowess lets it come in numerous times in a match, allowing it to get up a wish so that I can pass it the likes of Rhyperior and Mew, letting them continuously do what I need them to do. Umbreon’s Dark typing only enhances it’s effectiveness as well, because it provides almost the perfect partner for Mew, enabling it to get an NP off when it needs to. That’s pretty much it, though. Aside from walling special shit and wish passing, Umbreon’s a pretty boring mon. Careful + 212 HP + 216 Spd gives me a jump number in Spd and a lefties number while emphasizing Umbreon’s special bulk, and 80 Atk Ev’s gives Payback a little oomph and always lets me break Raikou’s subs.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 112 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 140 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Roost
What can I say, alongside Heracross and Kingdra, Zapdos is the most threatening mon in UU in my humble opinion. It’s combination of speed, power, and bulk makes it the perfect sweeper for most BO teams and it’s great coverage lets it walk all over most teams without severely dedicated special walls. Well, once I pass an NP to this monster, even those special walls aren’t doing shit because Zapdos can 2HKO both Snorlax (with a little luck) and Umbreon after SR. The sheer amount of OHKOs I get with this thing after a pass is incredible, and with the little focus on bulk I put in, it almost always manages to get 2-3 kills like that before going down, clearing the way for Emoleon later. As I’ve mentioned before, Zapdos was chosen over other powerful special attackers because it pairs so well with Empoleon. Zapdos can take the Fighting and Ground attacks(after Balloon is broken) that plague Emp, and Emp can do the same for Zap with Rock and Ice moves. This really helps when people try to get smart once they’ve figured out I’m an NP passer and predict the switch-in. Rather than going full max / max lo with the spread, I decided to run a little bulkier spread with lefties to help Zapdos stay alive longer as at +2 it doesn’t really need LO and the bulk lets it not be revenged so easily. Timid + 140 speed outruns Hera and other things trying to outrun it by one point, I maxed out SpA, and then put the rest of the EVs towards HP.
Heracross (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Guts
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Pursuit
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
To be honest, I’ve kinda fiddled with this spot a lot but I’ve always found myself coming back to Heracross due to how much of a threat it can be to opposing teams if played right. As I said before, Heracross is definitely one of the most threatening mons in UU atm, and with SR support it can just run through teams lategame. Heracross also always allows me to put the pressure on Lax / Umbreon, which as I’ve been emphasizing is really the only things stopping my special sweepers from wrecking shit right off the bat. As if being my clean-up artist and special wall spooker wasn’t enough though, with choice scarf, heracross also functions as my revenge killer and catch-all. The team’s kinda slow overall, so this role is definitely needed and Heracross has worked wonderfully. Guts also allows me to turn the tables on status users who try to toxic stall Zapdos (which is most teams answer to my Zapdos tbh), and lets me fuck over teams with annoying ass sableye. All-in-all, this is a set most UU players are familiar with and it functions like it does on every other team: revenge stuff and be a nightmare to predict around when played right. I’ve considered using Aerial Ace > Pursuit to help a little bit with opposing Heracross which can be a dick at times, but eh idk.
Empoleon (F) @ Air Balloon
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 8 HP / 252 SAtk / 248 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Grass Knot
- Agility
Ugh finally this rmt is taking too long. In all seriousness, though, I love this thing. I don’t know why I haven’t built a team around it until now because the potential has always been there, but I’m just glad I’m abusing it now. Empoleon has always been known for it’s good coverage and power, and with Agility slapped on it’s speed issue is remedied too. With just LO, though, it always lacked the power to outright break through teams, thus it needed something like spikes support. Because I decided to opt for NP pass instead though, I don’t need LO or all the shit that comes with spikestacking, allowing me to run Air Balloon and other mons other than like a spin blocker to help patch up holes. Speaking of Air Balloon, it makes it so much easier to set-up once I have an NP and gives me a nice initial switch-in to things like Swampert or Rhyperior, as they’ll usually either SR or EQ first. Empoleon’s Steel + Water typing gives it a huge amount of resistances to set-up on and pairs wonderfully with Mew, making it that much easier to support. Furthermore, Snorlax’ and Umbreon’s STABs can’t do shit to Emp, making it that much easier to take out most teams only answers to special threats. Once the stage is set and Zapdos has plowed through most of the opposing team, I can just NP up once more with Mew and send Emp on his way to clean up (sometimes not even needing that NP boost). As for the EVs, again with NP I don’t really need Modest, so I’m running Timid + 248 spe to outrun scarfers like Darmanitan, adamant Flygon and adamant Krookodile.
And that’s it! If you made it this far, I’d like to thank you for dealing with my rambling. I also hope that the way I went about building this team can give some insight on how to support your mons / sweepers of choice without using the overused spike tactics overwhelming UU. Be creative and try to look for something new, that way team building and just playing in general can stay exciting. Here’s a little secret, too, new and creative is usually anti-metagame, so you got that going for you too. Lastly, I’d like to thank kuja20 for kinda motivating me to make this team, you’re a bro.
