At a Glance:
Introduction:
After having mild success with my OU team, I began to consider something... Most of the coolest Pokemon are actually in UU. With zero knowledge of the UU environment, I threw together this team, and the results have been surprisingly good. Now it's time to put it under the RMT microscope to tell me how I could improve.
Team Building Process:
I took the concept of my standard team Scorched Earth (Torterra & Heatran sweep) and downgraded it to a Torterra & Arcanine sweep. Torterra Rock Polishes, sweeps until a Fire move threatens to cook it, then Arcanine switches in with a Flash Fire boost and keeps sweeping. That's what the initial thought was. As the team came together and fought a few battles, it morphed into a simple all out offensive that typically only fails when I botch a prediction. So, here we go folks.
Nidoqueen @ Lum Berry
Poison Point
252 HP/200 Def/44 Spd/12 SAtk
Bold
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
As a lead, Nidoqueen is just fantastic. Her main goal in life is to set up Stealth Rocks, and if she's not threatened by anything, she'll lay down Toxic Spikes too. Earth Power does some damage to Poison types trying to absorb my Toxic Spikes, and Ice Beam hits anything that resists Ground (except Bronzong, so I'm told.)
She's not as fragile as the typical suicide lead, so she can come back in later to do whatever, like re-setting entry hazards once the opponent's Rapid Spinner is dead. The Lum Berry ensures that Nidoqueen can at the very least set up Stealth Rocks against Roserade or other sleep inducers. Thought the faulty accuracy of Sleep Powder can sometimes afford me another turn before she goes to bed.
Ambipom's Fake Out does about 25%. He can't hit her for 75% in one shot, so she can use Stealth Rocks, typically as Ambipom U-Turns to a counter.
Rain Dance leads like Uxie and Electrode aren't problems, as all Uxie really does is U-Turn, and Electrode's Explosion can't kill Nidoqueen.
All in all, I'm very satisfied with this Pokemon. The only thing I'm not too sure about is Toxic Spikes. She can't always afford to set them up, and there's a lot of Poison types in UU to absorb them. Is there a more efficient move to put in Toxic Spikes place? Maybe Taunt, or Roar, or something supportive?
Kangaskhan @ Leftovers
Scrappy
212 HP/82 Atk/216 Spd
Adamant
- Return
- Sucker Punch
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
Can somebody please explain to me how Kangaskhan ended up in NU? She's an absolute monster. I initially picked her over the myriad of similiar lower tier Normal types just because she looked cool, but I'm just so impressed with the outcome. She switches in for free on Shadow Ball from Rotom and Mismagius, sets up a Sub (either absorbing a Thunder Wave or on the switch,) and takes it from there. I tend to use Focus Punch if I've got a Sub up. Otherwise I'll go with Return if the opponent has a lot of HP, and Sucker Punch if they're almost dead.
It's very satisfying being able to hit Ghost's with STAB Return. And Sucker Punch has ended threatening sweeps from Gardevoir and friends in a pinch. Focus Punch is the least used move, and the one I'd drop for anything you guys recommend.
Gardevoir @ Choice Specs
Trace
6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
Standard Special Sweeping Psychic with Trick. I used to have Specs Mismagius here instead, until I got sweeped by a Specs Gardevoir. I tried that instead, and she's the best sweeper on the team. Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball are for coverage, althought Psychic is strong enough to kill a lot of things with 50% HP or less. Trick can somewhat cripple a physical attacker or things like Chansey. But it's more fun to completley cripple them with instant death, so Trick is rarely used. Would there be a better offensive move to put in Trick's place?
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Huge Power
212 HP/252 Atk/44 Spd
Adamant
- Aqua Jet
- Double-edge
- Focus Punch
- Ice Punch
With 50 Base Attack and a 40 Base Power STAB Move, I couldn't imagine Azumarill here doing much. Huge Power and Choice Band somehow transformed him into a nice late game cleaner. Aqua Jet can wash away any Fire type, and most Pokemon already weakened. Ice Punch deals with Altaria, but that's about all I use it for. I really never use Double-Edge or Focus Punch, so I'm open to suggestions. Maybe use Waterfall and Aqua Jet on the same set? Like for when I know Azumarill doesn't have to worry about being outsped and can afford to attack second?
Actually, I'm open to suggestions on this whole Pokemon. Aqua Jet cleans up nicely, though I feel like any other Water type could fill this role just as good, if not better. Is Quagsire any good as a Choice Bander? He's got to be one of the coolest things in the world, so I'd put him in place of Azumarill in a heartbeat if he's any good.
Torterra @ Leftovers
Overgrow
6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant
- Seed Bomb
- Earthquake
- Rock Polish
- Stone Edge
Anybody who saw the Scorched Earth team I posted before will note that this is the exact same Torterra. And that's just cause it's so damn good. Nothing's taking this down without Ice Beam, and if I can Rock Polish on the turn that they switch in, I've got a good chance of killing them before they use it. Next to Gardevoir, many of my sweeps have come from Torterra here. The original concet of switching to Arcanine in the face of a Fire type isn't even necessary, as Earthquake and/or Stone Edge shut them down.
I'm using the conservative approach here, opting for Seed Bomb > Wood Hammer and Leftovers > Life Orb. Torterra usually takes a hit on the turn he Rock Polishes, so he can rarely afford recoil. He's been doing really well with this set though, so I don't see a need to just throw away his HP when I don't need to.
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Flash Fire
6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant
- Flare Blitz
- Howl
- Thunder Fang
- Extremespeed
If you only offer one line of advice on this Pokemon, let it be this: Should I use Intimidate instead of Flash Fire? Now at first, Arcanine came in as Heatrn's little brother. That is, he takes a Fire attack that would kill Torterra, Howls if I think they're going to switch, and then goes crazy with heavily boosted Flare Blitzs. But he's usually just used to revenge kill with Extremespeed, or Flare Blitz random Pokemon.
What bega as one of the two all-stars of the team is actully the least useful member. Leftovers can't keep him live, what with Stealth Rock and Flare Blitz recoil.
I'm very open to suggestions on what to do with this puppy, or if I should just flat out replace him. Who's one of the better revenge killers in UU? That's go good here, I think.
Thanks for Rating!
Introduction:
After having mild success with my OU team, I began to consider something... Most of the coolest Pokemon are actually in UU. With zero knowledge of the UU environment, I threw together this team, and the results have been surprisingly good. Now it's time to put it under the RMT microscope to tell me how I could improve.
Team Building Process:
I took the concept of my standard team Scorched Earth (Torterra & Heatran sweep) and downgraded it to a Torterra & Arcanine sweep. Torterra Rock Polishes, sweeps until a Fire move threatens to cook it, then Arcanine switches in with a Flash Fire boost and keeps sweeping. That's what the initial thought was. As the team came together and fought a few battles, it morphed into a simple all out offensive that typically only fails when I botch a prediction. So, here we go folks.
Nidoqueen @ Lum Berry
Poison Point
252 HP/200 Def/44 Spd/12 SAtk
Bold
- Earth Power
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock
- Toxic Spikes
As a lead, Nidoqueen is just fantastic. Her main goal in life is to set up Stealth Rocks, and if she's not threatened by anything, she'll lay down Toxic Spikes too. Earth Power does some damage to Poison types trying to absorb my Toxic Spikes, and Ice Beam hits anything that resists Ground (except Bronzong, so I'm told.)
She's not as fragile as the typical suicide lead, so she can come back in later to do whatever, like re-setting entry hazards once the opponent's Rapid Spinner is dead. The Lum Berry ensures that Nidoqueen can at the very least set up Stealth Rocks against Roserade or other sleep inducers. Thought the faulty accuracy of Sleep Powder can sometimes afford me another turn before she goes to bed.
Ambipom's Fake Out does about 25%. He can't hit her for 75% in one shot, so she can use Stealth Rocks, typically as Ambipom U-Turns to a counter.
Rain Dance leads like Uxie and Electrode aren't problems, as all Uxie really does is U-Turn, and Electrode's Explosion can't kill Nidoqueen.
All in all, I'm very satisfied with this Pokemon. The only thing I'm not too sure about is Toxic Spikes. She can't always afford to set them up, and there's a lot of Poison types in UU to absorb them. Is there a more efficient move to put in Toxic Spikes place? Maybe Taunt, or Roar, or something supportive?
Kangaskhan @ Leftovers
Scrappy
212 HP/82 Atk/216 Spd
Adamant
- Return
- Sucker Punch
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
Can somebody please explain to me how Kangaskhan ended up in NU? She's an absolute monster. I initially picked her over the myriad of similiar lower tier Normal types just because she looked cool, but I'm just so impressed with the outcome. She switches in for free on Shadow Ball from Rotom and Mismagius, sets up a Sub (either absorbing a Thunder Wave or on the switch,) and takes it from there. I tend to use Focus Punch if I've got a Sub up. Otherwise I'll go with Return if the opponent has a lot of HP, and Sucker Punch if they're almost dead.
It's very satisfying being able to hit Ghost's with STAB Return. And Sucker Punch has ended threatening sweeps from Gardevoir and friends in a pinch. Focus Punch is the least used move, and the one I'd drop for anything you guys recommend.
Gardevoir @ Choice Specs
Trace
6 HP/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid
- Psychic
- Thunderbolt
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
Standard Special Sweeping Psychic with Trick. I used to have Specs Mismagius here instead, until I got sweeped by a Specs Gardevoir. I tried that instead, and she's the best sweeper on the team. Thunderbolt and Shadow Ball are for coverage, althought Psychic is strong enough to kill a lot of things with 50% HP or less. Trick can somewhat cripple a physical attacker or things like Chansey. But it's more fun to completley cripple them with instant death, so Trick is rarely used. Would there be a better offensive move to put in Trick's place?
Azumarill @ Choice Band
Huge Power
212 HP/252 Atk/44 Spd
Adamant
- Aqua Jet
- Double-edge
- Focus Punch
- Ice Punch
With 50 Base Attack and a 40 Base Power STAB Move, I couldn't imagine Azumarill here doing much. Huge Power and Choice Band somehow transformed him into a nice late game cleaner. Aqua Jet can wash away any Fire type, and most Pokemon already weakened. Ice Punch deals with Altaria, but that's about all I use it for. I really never use Double-Edge or Focus Punch, so I'm open to suggestions. Maybe use Waterfall and Aqua Jet on the same set? Like for when I know Azumarill doesn't have to worry about being outsped and can afford to attack second?
Actually, I'm open to suggestions on this whole Pokemon. Aqua Jet cleans up nicely, though I feel like any other Water type could fill this role just as good, if not better. Is Quagsire any good as a Choice Bander? He's got to be one of the coolest things in the world, so I'd put him in place of Azumarill in a heartbeat if he's any good.
Torterra @ Leftovers
Overgrow
6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant
- Seed Bomb
- Earthquake
- Rock Polish
- Stone Edge
Anybody who saw the Scorched Earth team I posted before will note that this is the exact same Torterra. And that's just cause it's so damn good. Nothing's taking this down without Ice Beam, and if I can Rock Polish on the turn that they switch in, I've got a good chance of killing them before they use it. Next to Gardevoir, many of my sweeps have come from Torterra here. The original concet of switching to Arcanine in the face of a Fire type isn't even necessary, as Earthquake and/or Stone Edge shut them down.
I'm using the conservative approach here, opting for Seed Bomb > Wood Hammer and Leftovers > Life Orb. Torterra usually takes a hit on the turn he Rock Polishes, so he can rarely afford recoil. He's been doing really well with this set though, so I don't see a need to just throw away his HP when I don't need to.
Arcanine @ Leftovers
Flash Fire
6 HP/252 Atk/252 Spd
Adamant
- Flare Blitz
- Howl
- Thunder Fang
- Extremespeed
If you only offer one line of advice on this Pokemon, let it be this: Should I use Intimidate instead of Flash Fire? Now at first, Arcanine came in as Heatrn's little brother. That is, he takes a Fire attack that would kill Torterra, Howls if I think they're going to switch, and then goes crazy with heavily boosted Flare Blitzs. But he's usually just used to revenge kill with Extremespeed, or Flare Blitz random Pokemon.
What bega as one of the two all-stars of the team is actully the least useful member. Leftovers can't keep him live, what with Stealth Rock and Flare Blitz recoil.
I'm very open to suggestions on what to do with this puppy, or if I should just flat out replace him. Who's one of the better revenge killers in UU? That's go good here, I think.
Thanks for Rating!
