Pickin' Up Speed (Momentous UU Offense)

[nv]

Hi guys, Nightmare Vampire here. Been about 6 months since my last RMT (school and other games distracted me), but I am back and with a UU team this time. This team is my first UU team I have made since I started playing on PS (started about a year ago). This team is currently at #86 and rising (as I am still playing with it because I love this team that much). I don't know how to show the ladder proof so if anyone knows and can PM, I would appreciate it. Now onto what you have all been waiting for:

MOMENTUM!!!​

Teambuilding Process

I wanted to use Porygon2. He is a great bulky special sweeper. Not much other than that to say right now.

Next, I picked a Poke that could take the Fighting weakness of Pory and also hopefully lure some Ghost types for Pory to take as it is immune to Ghost type moves. That gave me Xatu. His ability is a nicely added boon as well.

Next I picked Houndoom as a solid special sweeper and to take resisted Ice- and Ghost- moves aimed at Xatu.

Next is Nidoking, a great attacker in the fact of his combo of Sheer Force and LO.

I now noticed I lacked a good physical attacker and Hitmontop starts it. His TechniTop set was the shiznit of last gen and I brought it back.

Lastly, I got a setup physical sweeper in Kingdra. Kingdra may be considered "middle of the pack" with nothing too outstanding, but I wanted to prove it wrong.

Unfortunately, I had to let my favorite top go and replace him with a beast called ScarfShao. Mienshao is able to take any threat Hitmontop took care of for this team plus gain more momentum by U-Turning and getting HP back with Regenerator.

Due to this team needing some much appreciated bulk, I replaced Nidoking with a Nidoqueen, able to hit almost as hard (a barely noticeable difference), while retaining enough bulk to survive some super effective hits unlike Nidoking.

The Wait Is Over (My Team)

All changes will be in Purple so people can see the changes​

Androgynous (Porygon2) @ Eviolite
Ability: Download
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/252 SpA (Modest SpA+/Atk-)
-Tri Attack
-Ice Beam
-Discharge
-Recover

Porygon2 and his older, androgynous brother, Porygon-Z, are stuck in the same tier. Most people tend to pick the older brother as he can Nasty Plot and has Adaptability. I picked Porygon2 because I like bulk. Bulk is always a good thing and Porygon2 does it well while also being able to hit opposing Pokemon hard. This guy usually becomes first or second to go as he is slow as molasses, but he gains offensive momentum in the beginning for me. The moves are standard on an offensive Porygon2 set. Tri Attack for STAB, Ice Beam and Thunderbolt for mostly unresisted BoltBeam coverage in UU and Recover is for the hopeful switches he can cause on occasion to recover some lost HP from his previous encounter. Discharge has replaced T-Bolt. I noticed it gave me a great boon in that 30% chance to paralyze and allow Porygon2 to then sweep with his hopeful Download 1.5x SpA boost. It also spreads paralysis for his teammates to definitely get an advantage in a 1v1 with the opposing Pokemon. Thanks to Lagalag4 for this change.

Can't Touch This (Xatu) @ Leftovers
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP/240 SpD/16 Spd (Careful SpD+/Atk-)
-Thunder Wave
-Roost
-U-Turn
-Night Shade

Xatu is the Espeon of UU. With his ability Magic Bounce, he is able to bounce back entry hazards, T-Wave, Toxic, etc. He allows for my side of the field to be free of entry hazards while also putting the same entry hazard on their side of the field. While it isn't a reliable method to put entry hazards on their side of the field, I have only had 2 or 3 battles where the entry hazard ended up on my side of the field and I still won due to the support of the other teammates. T-Wave is for offensive momentum because paralysis on other offensive teams cripples them for my offense to take over and thus gain the momentum. Roost for obvious recovery. U-Turn is for getting out of a sticky situation and Night Shade is for consistent damage and breaks most Subs.

Cruella de Vil (Houndoom) @ Life Orb
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe (Timid Spe+/Atk-)
-Nasty Plot
-Fire Blast
-Dark Pulse
-Hidden Power Fighting

Houndoom is a great special attacker. He has fallen in recent times with the people, so much so that I have heard around that people think it should be dropped to RU, but I think the reason it stays in UU is a great ability in Flash Fire along with a setup move in Nasty Plot. Even though none of my team is weak to Fire, there are powerful Fire attackers in UU such as Victini, Chandelure, Arcanine, etc. and Houndoom takes them well. He also is a very good teammate with his almost non-resisted STAB coverage. I chose Hidden Power Fighting over HP Grass because I won't keep Houndoom in on Water types. Houndoom has been my saving grace a few times, especially when Flash Fire gets activated.

Bia (Nidoqueen) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 100 HP/252 SpA/156 Spe (Modest SpA+/Atk-)
-Earth Power
-Fire Blast
-Ice Beam
-Focus Blast

Nidoqueen has proven her worth. While her lover, Nidoking, has greater overall power, she provides a semi-bulky attacker (which this team was in dire need of I noticed after placing her on my team). She has her standard Smogon set able to wreck through many of the tier's top threats, like Heracross, Victini, etc. Her bulk allows to salvage through some non-STAB supereffective attacks such as Roserade's Extrasensory. The role she plays on this team has made her shine more than her lover did before. I do not regret placing her on my team. Although at first she was used to set SR I felt it made her lack in offensive prowess as she had to tank a hit for SR + attacking so I decided I will deal with Hazards or use Xatu as he was intended, which was to prevent them from being on my side in the first place. Thanks to Lagalag4 for this replacement.

Old Teammate:

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Kratos (Nidoking) @ Life Orb
Ability: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SpA/4 SpD/252 Spe (Timid Spe+/Atk-)
-Earth Power
-Fire Blast
-Ice Beam
-Substitute

Pirouetta (Mienshao) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk/4 SpD/252 Spe (Jolly Spe+/SpA-)
-Hi Jump Kick
-U-Turn
-Stone Edge
-Aerial Ace

With a little bit of regret (love you Technitop) I replaced Hitmontop on my team with Scarf Mienshao, and let me tell you it does what Hitmontop did and more. With Regenerator, I can switch in Mienshao and build up dmg on the opposing Pokemon with U-Turn and regain HP from possible entry hazard damage. It outspeeds a lot of threats, such as ScarfCross and hits hard. Hi Jump Kick is for obvious STAB and hits like a beast (just gotta watch for Ghost Types). U-Turn to hit for some hefty damage and get some HP back. Stone Edge to hit those pesky Flying types and lastly Aerial Ace to grab the jump on any variant of Heracross. I don't need HP Ice for Gligar as I have Porygon 2, with his Download boost and Ice Beam, and Nidoking, with his Sheer Force LO boosted Ice Beam. I take back what I said about Technitop and his always capable way to KO Mienshao as with my own Scarf Mienshao I speed tie others, so as long as I win the speed tie I will be good. Gotta say glad I made the decision to change but regret as I love Technitop, :P

Old Teammate:

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Leadfoot (Hitmontop) @ Life Orb
Ability: Technician
EVs: 252 HP/252 Atk/4 Def (Adamant Atk+/SpA-)
-Fake Out
-Revenge
-Mach Punch
-Stone Edge

Phae (Kingdra) @ Leftovers
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 Atk/4 SpD/252 Spe (Adamant Atk+/SpA-)
-Substitute
-Dragon Dance
-Outrage
-Waterfall

SubDD Kingdra is, in my opinion, one of the best sets for Kingdra. With nearly perfect coverage in her STAB moves, only resisted by Empoleon, she can abuse this set well. Substitute protects from a possible burn or toxic, pretty much gives her an immunity to something that can stop her sweep instantly. Dragon Dance is there to boost her all around neutral stats to threatening levels. Outrage is there for a great physical Dragon move, but unfortunately the confusion tends to counteract the Sub as she needs to switch in order to get rid of confusion; however, I have been lucky with confusion so far. Waterfall is there to take care of the only Pokes to resist Dragon: Steel- types. Again this set is walled by Empoleon but with Hitmontop, Empoleon isn't too much of a worry.Swift Swim replaces Sniper per Kitten Milk's suggestion. It helps me counter many rain teams even though rain isn't as prominent as say in OU but when up against rain teams, Kingdra gives me a great answer to them, and with her boosts, Sniper is not missed. Thank Kitten Milk for this suggestion.

Well there is my team in all its bountiful glory. I love this team to death but am willing to test changes if necessary. Also here is the importable so people can test this team out. Hope you guys have fun rating my team. All I ask from you is not just for a rate, but for a good rate.

Hide

Androgynous (Porygon2) @ Eviolite
Trait: Download
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SAtk
Modest Nature
- Tri Attack
- Ice Beam
- Thunderbolt
- Recover

Can't Touch This (Xatu) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 240 SDef / 16 Spd
Careful Nature
- Thunder Wave
- Roost
- U-turn
- Night Shade

Cruella de Vil (Houndoom) (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Nasty Plot
- Fire Blast
- Dark Pulse
- Hidden Power [Fighting]

Kratos (Nidoking) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 SAtk / 4 SDef
Timid Nature
- Earth Power
- Fire Blast
- Ice Beam
- Substitute

Pirouetta (Mienshao) (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 Atk/ 4 SpD/ 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Hi Jump Kick
- U-Turn
- Stone Edge
- Aerial Ace

Phae (Kingdra) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Swift Swim
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Spd / 252 Atk / 4 SDef
Adamant Nature
IVs: 30 SAtk
- Substitute
- Dragon Dance
- Outrage
- Waterfall

Seeya around Smogonites!!!

The Larvitar that keeps on going,
~Nightmare Vampire

 

[KM]

I really think you should consider putting SR on Nidoking in place of Substitute. On a fully offensive team like this, hazards are very important for weakening threats and assisting your sweepers in, well, sweeping. That moveslot is begging to be filled with something more useful than Substitute.

Revenge on Hitmontop seems eh at best. I'm curious as to how it works. If you get hit that turn and move last (negative priority and stuff), does technician boost the BP to 90 and then get multiplied by 2 to 180? Or, does it multiply by 2 to 120 and then just stay there? Either way, I suppose it could be useful, but it seems like you'd be taking a lot of damage just to get a marginally stronger attack off because of the negative priority. Hitmontop isn't all that bulky without investment, unfortunately.

Given that you're not running top as a spinner, why not switch him for something like Scarf Mienshao? You could certainly use a much faster poke on your team to prevent sweeps of your opponent, and I think you'll find HJK to be just as powerful if not more powerful than a negative priority revenge. I hate to say this, but the reason that technitop isn't the shit in this generation is because there are other tools to play with that can be more helpful to a team, like Mienshao.

I'm sort of iffy about that Kingdra set too, but if it works for you I can't really complain. That said, I would recommend running Swift Swim over Sniper. If we're being real here, if Kingdra manages to get a crit on something it'll probably wipe their existence out of the face of the planet anyway without needing to have it be 3x. However, Swift Swim can be very useful against rain teams (which are otherwise threatening to this team), as you can outspeed everything after a DD and just sweep.

I do really like this team otherwise though. It's got a lot of fun things in it, and I can see why you based it around momentum. I'd also like to give you props for a really well done RMT :P

Best of luck with the team :)

 

[nv]

Hi there Kitten Milk.

SR does sound like a good idea to have a reliable way for hazards but I had Substitute for avoidance of status. This however, is mitigated by his lack of getting Paralyzed by T-Wave or Toxic'd because of his typing so sounds like a great idea.

If I remember correctly, Technician factors in first, then STAB, making Revenge 180. I see your argument for Scarf Mienshao and that sounds like a great idea and now I can see why Technitop isn't as playable as last gen (even though I still love Technitop, :P). I might have to try Mienshao, thanks for the idea.

Hm...I see your point with running SS > Sniper because rain teams would wreck it (luckily I have yet to come by one in UU), but SS Kingdra gives me an answer to them especially with a DD boost, so I will look into that.

Thanks for rating my team. I am having a bunch of fun with this and hope to perfect it, and then eventually, retire it, lol.

The Larvitar that keeps on going,
~Nightmare Vampire

EDIT: Totally spaced but the reason Technitop was being used over Scarf Mienshao was also because it can beat Scarf Mienshao. The Fake Out + Mach Punch Combo KOes any Mienshao. I will try Mienshao out but I just wanted to state the real reason, and also the reason I spaced on, of why Technitop was being used.

 

[Laga]

Sup.

I tried out your team (lol i stole it), and it worked ok, but I did make a few changes to it, that I personally have had some success with, so I thought I would share them with you.

First of all, a small detail. I changed T-Bolt to Discharge on P2, since I kinda reforged your team into a bunch of threats that like paralysis support.

Second of all, I changed your Nidoking into a Nidoqueen, with this set:
Nidoqueen (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Sheer Force
EVs: 252 SAtk / 100 HP / 156 Spd
Modest Nature
- Earth Power
- Flamethrower
- Ice Beam
- Stealth Rock

Since your team has a T-Wave user, and a discharge user, this set works very well at denting teams, whilst providing bulk and rocks support.

I then changed your Hitmontop into a standard Substitute Machamp, since it is an overall good pokemon in bulk and power, and it is very deadly when paralysis support is added into the picture, using it's 100 confusion hits too bring deadly ParaFusion + substitute action. Here is the SubChamp set:
Machamp @ Leftovers
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 212 HP / 252 Atk / 44 Spd
Adamant Nature
- DynamicPunch
- Stone Edge
- Substitute
- Toxic

You might question Toxic, but that is for Slowbro, Cofagrigus, and Dusclops, which normally wall the living shit out of it. It works especially well for Dusclops, since it loses most of the time to anything with Substitute + Toxic. Overall, an extremely deadly pokemon, especially with the paralysis support, and I would definately recommend you give it a shot.

Hope I helped a bit mate :]

 

[nv]

Hey there, Lag. I don't care that you stole it. The point of an RMT is giving it up to the community to try and tweak it to make it as good as it can be, lol.

Anyways, I understand Discharge > T-Bolt for the 20% boost in paralysis for a 15 power drop, especially because paralysis is great for Porygon2 as he is slow without para- support. Also the power drop isn't noticeable on Poke such as Bisharp or Cobalion except for losing out on a less than 15% chance to 2HKO, but Porygon2 if up against them can paralyze and then be able to Recover before they hit (and also hope for parahax, lol).

For Nidoqueen > Nidoking, I had a hard time picking. I love Nidoking's hit hard like a truck and fast but with Houndoom who has more SpA and Spe than Nidoking some much needed bulk seems like a good idea. I will try it, but does Nidoqueen learn Fire Blast or must I use Flamethrower?

And as stated in my previous post, Hitmontop, which his Technician-boosted priority moves, namely his Fake Out + Mach Punch combo, is able to KO Mienshao, a huge threat to this team. However, With Para- support it is possible to paralyze Mienshao then be able to take him over with Houndoom or Kingdra. However, I can try SubChamp and see how well it works.

Thanks for the rate dude. You gave me some great thoughts for my team and I will definitely take them into account.

The Larvitar that keeps on going,
~Nightmare Vampire

 

[Moose V]

This team doesn't look too bad and actually seems surprisingly threatening. I might try it out, but you might want something for LO mienshao or other fast fighting pokes. Right now, a LO HJK or stone edge pretty much can OHKO everything on your team (not to mention outspeeding everything on your team) but nidoking, and nidoking gets 2HKOd.

I also agree with getting rid of sub on nidoking. I'd replace sub with thunderbolt cuz you need something to take down bulky water types.

 

[nv]

Heya Moose. Thanks for the rate. And I welcome you to try it out. It is so much fun.

Again as stated in my post to Kitten Milk, I use Technitop to threaten any variant of Mienshao as with the Fake Out + Mach Punch combo all of them are KO'd. I did try Scarf Mienshao but it didn't seem to complete what I wanted and got from Technitop. Also I am not good at predicting so most of the time Mienshao would get a Ghost switch in and then be screwed, losing 50% of its HP.

Also, Thunderbolt sounds awesome, but right now I am testing Nidoqueen in his place and she is working great, giving me bulk with a threatening presence. However, if for some reason she loses her initial cool, I can go back to Nidoking and use T-Bolt. If Nidoqueen can learn T-Bolt I can use that instead of SR on her as a test. Again thanks for the rate and have fun trying my team, if you do that is.

The Larvitar that keeps on going,
~Nightmare Vampire

 

[nv]

Here's my first bump! (And in unrelated news I would like some direction on how to use fonts in Smogon posts...i.e. changing from Times to Comic Sans.)

The Larvitar that keeps on going,
~Nightmare Vampire

 

[Crimson]

I suggest putting Stealth Rock on Nidoqueen over Focus Blast or Fire Blast. You can't rely on Xatu to bounce Rocks back for you all the time because if your opponent predicts around you and kills Xatu while their Rocker is alive, then chances are they will get Rocks up and you won't, putting you at a disadvantage. For an offensive team like this, getting your own Rocks up is imperative. Nidoqueen is the best (only) candidate on your team for this and she makes for a fantastic lead or target to go into after U-Turning with Mienshao.

 

[nv]

I will test SR on Nidoqueen again, but from the first round of testing, I can tell it is pretty easy to get rocks on their side from Xatu, however I can also see the unreliability of Magic Bounce helping like that. Seems like a semi cool idea to replace Fire Blast with it because of Houndoom providing FIREpower (pun intended). Thanks for the suggestion and I will try it over Fire Blast as I tried it in Focus Blast's spot and it didn't seem to work too well.

The Larvitar that keeps on going,
~Nightmare Vampire