Hi folks, I'm new here. I've been playing Pokemon since RBY days, but usually went the collection route instead of competitive battling (490/493 on my Diamond cart). Anyway, I found Smogon a while back and found the forums and strategy guides to be very interesting. I lurked for months, reading war stories, RMTs, and looking at Pokemon analyses. I decided to try my hand at competitive battling.
I was turned off by the fact that OU had such a solid "core" of Pokemon. Most teams used the same dozen Pokemon. UU looked much more enjoyable. In fact, I was sad to see so many cool Pokemon confined to the "lower" tier and decided I would join them down there. I've never even tried OU battling. Next time the tutor program rolls around, I may dip my feet in those waters, but until then, I'm fine down here with the underdogs. Many more Pokemon were viable and the variety made battling tons of fun. I started off with a balanced team, then tried Rain Dance and Sunny Day teams (very fun).
When I was playing one day, I got my whole team swept by a lead who simply statted up and swept. It didn't seem like it required too much prediction, just raw power and a disregard for conventional leads. I began wondering how people would react to a team that simply statted up then tried to steamroll you. From there I devised my Hyper Offense team. The basic strategy is: Stat-up, sweep, faint, rinse, repeat. DO NOT switch out under any circumstances, just sacrifice your sweeper to get the next in for free. I've found it has been quite successful but could definitely use some pointers. In particular, I didn't try anything exciting with my EV spreads. Maybe that's okay since they're all sweepers, but still...just my newbiness showing.
Anyway, I've been battling competitively for about three months now, about a month with this specific team. I decided I was experienced now to not look like a dunce when I posted my team so...here I am!
(Edits in bold)
The Team
Iggy (Sceptile) @ Focus Sash
Overgrow
4 HP, 252 Attack, 252 Speed
Jolly
-Swords Dance
-Leaf Blade
-Protect
-Rock Slide
Sceptile was the first Pokemon I came up with for the team. I know many Hyper Offense teams lead with, perhaps, Uxie to dualscreen and then Memento or something to bring in a sweeper. I, however, was interested in the concept of a unique lead. Not a traditional one that puts up rocks or taunts. Not an anti that simply stops the other lead from laying rocks. I wanted to try out a lead that put the opposing team immediately on the defense. And what better way to put them on the defense than the fastest Swords Dancer in UU? Bonus: Sceptile's my favorite Pokemon too!
Many people don't know what to expect when they see lead Sceptile. Frequently, they just go about their usual lead business - rocks, spikes, etc. This gives Sceptile a free Swords Dance. And once she has a dance under her belt, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her three attacking moves yield almost guaranteed neutral damage (with the exception of the rare pure grass type, Tangrowth or Leafeon for example...but they're not usually leads).
The Focus Sash guarantees a Swords Dance or (if the lead is particularly scary - something that might have Ice Shard and could 2HKO me) I get a free attack in before croaking. Her biggest weakness is Uxie. She can't 2HKO and if I use Swords Dance to get the 2HKO, I usually just end up yawned or something, which breaks momentum. As you know, I hate switching my frail sweepers into unknown attacks. However, it's better if she's put to sleep early as that gives my opponent one less way to break momentum later on via the Sleep Clause. I hate to trash Sceptile so early, though.
I'm currently experimenting with Protect in place of Earthquake to counter Ambipom leads. The loss of Earthquake is certainly being felt. A common switchin to Sceptile is Venusaur and an Sword Danced Earthquake was a 2HKO, but now I can't really do anything.
Hitmonjitsu (Hitmonlee) @ Life Orb
Limber
4 HP, 252 Attack, 252 Speed
Adamant
-Brick Break
-Sucker Punch
-Bullet Punch
-Rapid Spin
Hitmonlee has been the Pokemon on the team I've switched around the most. She joined the team initially as a Rapid Spinner for Moltres. I tried out Blaziken for a bit after Moltres got the axe, but found she just couldn't deal the damage I wanted and my Alakazam really missed the Rapid Spin support too. Next up was Swords Dance Kabutops as a check to Rain Dance teams, a powerful sweeper, and a surprise Rapid Spinner, but I found the overlap between her and Feraligatr to be too annoying...so I went back to where I started.
Hitmonlee is still, however, probably the weakest link on the team. She can deal some heavy damage with Close Combat and the double priority is a bonus for revenging Pokemon of any sort. However I wonder how well a revenger fits on this team? Sure, she'll finish off the weakened enemy, but then she just sits there helplessly as I don't want to switch anyone else in to die to a random blow. Alakazam is almost useless with rocks up, though and Hitmonlee is almost assuredly the most aggressive spinner I could cook up. Tips would be highly appreciated.
Added Brick Break in place of Close Combat. The damage difference is not overwhelming and the ability to break screens is very useful. Also added Bullet Punch to avoid being setup bait for SubPlot or SubCM Mismagius.
Crash (Aggron) @ Life Orb
Rock Head
252 Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Adamant
-Rock Polish
-Head Smash
-Aqua Tail
-Ice Punch
I originally had Rhyperior in this spot but found the water and grass weaknesses to be completely crippling given the slow speed. Aggron, however, is a BIT easier to bring in and after a Rock Polish turns into a freight train. After a single Rock Polish, she outspeeds the entire tier (barring stylish scarves, of course). I was stunned by this fact and many people don't seem to realize this in-battle either. My favorite is to bring her in on Swellow - a guaranteed Rock Polish and then proceed to destroy. Head Smash is incredible, dealing a hefty blow even to things that resist it. Aqua Tail and Ice Punch round out the coverage.
You would think the ground and fighting weaknesses would be dangerous, but they are usually quite easy to predict. And once she's got a Rock Polish up, it doesn't matter anyway. Anything that comes in to end her sweep will get a face full of Head Smash on the way out either way.
Phoebe (Alakazam) @ Focus Sash
Synchronize
4 HP, 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed
Timid
-Psychic
-Focus Blast
-Grass Knot
-Signal Beam
I suppose there's room on my team SOMEWHERE for a Pokemon with something a little different. And here it is - the Focus Sash! When constructing the team, I saw I had plenty of fun steamrolling physical attackers but wanted a special attacker to smash some stuff too. I knew Alakazam to be a particularly feared special attacker out there - blindingly fast and powerful, but frail as a toothpick. It was at this point that I took a look at those weaknesses and tried to turn them into strengths, which is where Phoebe got her stylish sash.
She packs such a serious punch already, Life Orb only shortened her life and Leftovers bordered on useless when you die in one hit. Choice items were unacceptable on the team because I cannot be switching around willy nilly. The Sash turns many of her counters into guaranteed KOs. She can essentially outspeed and 2HKO the whole metagame and with a Sash that guarantees a kill each and every game, usually more. The only thing that cramps her style is Sucker Punch as she has no responses, but otherwise...damn that Sash makes her an unexpected powerhouse.
Dundee (Feraligatr) @ Leftovers
Torrent
28 HP, 252 Special Attack, 228 Speed
Adamant
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Return
-Ice Punch
The Gyarados of UU does what she does best - tries to be Gyarados. After even one Dragon Dance, she becomes a force to be reckoned with. If she gets two in, God help the opposing team. I always get a laugh when my opponent switches Venusaur in to counter as I dance. After that one dance, Ice Punch almost always OHKOs what my opponent expected to be a hard counter! Waterfall will put a big dent into just about anything. The Aqua Jet may seem odd if I'm planning to boost my speed, but I've found it to be invaluable. It allows me to have another revenge killer. Additionally, once she starts dancing, people frequently bring in their priority to end her rampage. They get a nasty surprise when they get out-prioritized. A boosted Aqua Jet deals remarkable neutral damage. In particular, it's very fun against Fake-Outers and (especially) Sucker Punchers who find that they just did, essentially, nothing to this smiling gator.
The trouble comes when the omnipresent bulky waters come in. She is basically helpless against them. I usually just dance until I cannot take another hit, then blast them with Waterfall on my way out. I'm not too sure about the EVs, though. I just used the generic Smogon DD set, without question (tips are appreciated).
Turns out Aqua Jet is illegal with Dragon Dance. I also added leftovers to give him a bit more longevity and help him get more dances in. I'm really missing Aqua Jet so I'm considering switching DD to Swords Dance, but then I won't have the ability to outspeed almost everyone which really helps him. I'm actually far less happy with him now that he doesn't have both DD and Aqua Jet.
Wizrobe (Mismagius) @ Leftovers
Levitate
4 HP, 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed
Timid
-Nasty Plot
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Fighting)
-Substitute
Mismagius rounds out the team with another special option. Nasty Plot is an incredible move and Mismagius LOVES her new HG/SS toy. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting bring unresisted type coverage (very scary given the ability to double attacking power at the click of a button). Substitute allows her to laugh at anyone who tries to status or Sucker Punch her and, once she's hiding behind one, she becomes a whole lot scarier. Not too much to say. I frequently switch to her if any Fake Out leads bare their heads at Sceptile (she likes being able to come in later with her Sash intact and try a SD sweep). Aside from that, I usually leave her for the late game and after a Nasty Plot she becomes a pretty scary sweeper.
Mismagius is pretty strong after a Nasty Plot and not too intimidating without it, even with the Life Orb. I therefore added Leftovers to lengthen her stay and recover Substitute damage.
In Conclusion...
This team may seem a bit like I just smashed together a bunch of sweepers but I assure you it is more than that. I may not do any double switching or take part in stall battles and crazy mind games, but I have a lot of fun anyway. The hyper-aggressive lead puts my opponent on the defense and frequently, they scramble for purchase the whole battle as each scary sweeper they bring down just reveals another one. Each member of this team, bar Hitmonlee, has 6-0'ed an opposing team and it is this scary fact that really makes the team work.
As I said, I don't do any predictive switching, but when one of my sweepers goes down, I put a lot of thought into who comes in next. Things like: "Can Aggron get off a free Rock Polish? How about a Dragon Dance for Feraligatr? Do I need to get rid of hazards for the benefit of Alakazam?" I have answers to many common strategies I might encounter. I can stall out a Rain Dance team by throwing Alakazam in their way (taking down one of their sweepers with Grass Knot) and then waiting out the rain with Feraligatr. Once the rain stops, any member of the team can smash through the weaker team (Rain Dance teams are very frail and unreliable once the monsoon ends). Stat-uppers are faced with priority from Feraligatr and Hitmonlee to end their fun and make room for some stat-upping of my own. All in all, I play aggressively and either lose in less than twenty turns or (hopefully more often) win in twenty turns.
I'll also tell you all these stat-uppers have brought me frequent rage-quits as people helplessly lose their whole team to one Rock Polished Aggron or one Nasty Plotted Mismagius. Anyway, some tips would be highly appreciated and I'm very glad to have joined the community :)
I was turned off by the fact that OU had such a solid "core" of Pokemon. Most teams used the same dozen Pokemon. UU looked much more enjoyable. In fact, I was sad to see so many cool Pokemon confined to the "lower" tier and decided I would join them down there. I've never even tried OU battling. Next time the tutor program rolls around, I may dip my feet in those waters, but until then, I'm fine down here with the underdogs. Many more Pokemon were viable and the variety made battling tons of fun. I started off with a balanced team, then tried Rain Dance and Sunny Day teams (very fun).
When I was playing one day, I got my whole team swept by a lead who simply statted up and swept. It didn't seem like it required too much prediction, just raw power and a disregard for conventional leads. I began wondering how people would react to a team that simply statted up then tried to steamroll you. From there I devised my Hyper Offense team. The basic strategy is: Stat-up, sweep, faint, rinse, repeat. DO NOT switch out under any circumstances, just sacrifice your sweeper to get the next in for free. I've found it has been quite successful but could definitely use some pointers. In particular, I didn't try anything exciting with my EV spreads. Maybe that's okay since they're all sweepers, but still...just my newbiness showing.
Anyway, I've been battling competitively for about three months now, about a month with this specific team. I decided I was experienced now to not look like a dunce when I posted my team so...here I am!
(Edits in bold)
HYPER OFFENSE
A study in UU sweeping
At a Glance
A study in UU sweeping
At a Glance
The Team
Iggy (Sceptile) @ Focus Sash
Overgrow
4 HP, 252 Attack, 252 Speed
Jolly
-Swords Dance
-Leaf Blade
-Protect
-Rock Slide
Sceptile was the first Pokemon I came up with for the team. I know many Hyper Offense teams lead with, perhaps, Uxie to dualscreen and then Memento or something to bring in a sweeper. I, however, was interested in the concept of a unique lead. Not a traditional one that puts up rocks or taunts. Not an anti that simply stops the other lead from laying rocks. I wanted to try out a lead that put the opposing team immediately on the defense. And what better way to put them on the defense than the fastest Swords Dancer in UU? Bonus: Sceptile's my favorite Pokemon too!
Many people don't know what to expect when they see lead Sceptile. Frequently, they just go about their usual lead business - rocks, spikes, etc. This gives Sceptile a free Swords Dance. And once she has a dance under her belt, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her three attacking moves yield almost guaranteed neutral damage (with the exception of the rare pure grass type, Tangrowth or Leafeon for example...but they're not usually leads).
The Focus Sash guarantees a Swords Dance or (if the lead is particularly scary - something that might have Ice Shard and could 2HKO me) I get a free attack in before croaking. Her biggest weakness is Uxie. She can't 2HKO and if I use Swords Dance to get the 2HKO, I usually just end up yawned or something, which breaks momentum. As you know, I hate switching my frail sweepers into unknown attacks. However, it's better if she's put to sleep early as that gives my opponent one less way to break momentum later on via the Sleep Clause. I hate to trash Sceptile so early, though.
I'm currently experimenting with Protect in place of Earthquake to counter Ambipom leads. The loss of Earthquake is certainly being felt. A common switchin to Sceptile is Venusaur and an Sword Danced Earthquake was a 2HKO, but now I can't really do anything.
Hitmonjitsu (Hitmonlee) @ Life Orb
Limber
4 HP, 252 Attack, 252 Speed
Adamant
-Brick Break
-Sucker Punch
-Bullet Punch
-Rapid Spin
Hitmonlee has been the Pokemon on the team I've switched around the most. She joined the team initially as a Rapid Spinner for Moltres. I tried out Blaziken for a bit after Moltres got the axe, but found she just couldn't deal the damage I wanted and my Alakazam really missed the Rapid Spin support too. Next up was Swords Dance Kabutops as a check to Rain Dance teams, a powerful sweeper, and a surprise Rapid Spinner, but I found the overlap between her and Feraligatr to be too annoying...so I went back to where I started.
Hitmonlee is still, however, probably the weakest link on the team. She can deal some heavy damage with Close Combat and the double priority is a bonus for revenging Pokemon of any sort. However I wonder how well a revenger fits on this team? Sure, she'll finish off the weakened enemy, but then she just sits there helplessly as I don't want to switch anyone else in to die to a random blow. Alakazam is almost useless with rocks up, though and Hitmonlee is almost assuredly the most aggressive spinner I could cook up. Tips would be highly appreciated.
Added Brick Break in place of Close Combat. The damage difference is not overwhelming and the ability to break screens is very useful. Also added Bullet Punch to avoid being setup bait for SubPlot or SubCM Mismagius.
Crash (Aggron) @ Life Orb
Rock Head
252 Attack, 4 Defense, 252 Speed
Adamant
-Rock Polish
-Head Smash
-Aqua Tail
-Ice Punch
I originally had Rhyperior in this spot but found the water and grass weaknesses to be completely crippling given the slow speed. Aggron, however, is a BIT easier to bring in and after a Rock Polish turns into a freight train. After a single Rock Polish, she outspeeds the entire tier (barring stylish scarves, of course). I was stunned by this fact and many people don't seem to realize this in-battle either. My favorite is to bring her in on Swellow - a guaranteed Rock Polish and then proceed to destroy. Head Smash is incredible, dealing a hefty blow even to things that resist it. Aqua Tail and Ice Punch round out the coverage.
You would think the ground and fighting weaknesses would be dangerous, but they are usually quite easy to predict. And once she's got a Rock Polish up, it doesn't matter anyway. Anything that comes in to end her sweep will get a face full of Head Smash on the way out either way.
Phoebe (Alakazam) @ Focus Sash
Synchronize
4 HP, 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed
Timid
-Psychic
-Focus Blast
-Grass Knot
-Signal Beam
I suppose there's room on my team SOMEWHERE for a Pokemon with something a little different. And here it is - the Focus Sash! When constructing the team, I saw I had plenty of fun steamrolling physical attackers but wanted a special attacker to smash some stuff too. I knew Alakazam to be a particularly feared special attacker out there - blindingly fast and powerful, but frail as a toothpick. It was at this point that I took a look at those weaknesses and tried to turn them into strengths, which is where Phoebe got her stylish sash.
She packs such a serious punch already, Life Orb only shortened her life and Leftovers bordered on useless when you die in one hit. Choice items were unacceptable on the team because I cannot be switching around willy nilly. The Sash turns many of her counters into guaranteed KOs. She can essentially outspeed and 2HKO the whole metagame and with a Sash that guarantees a kill each and every game, usually more. The only thing that cramps her style is Sucker Punch as she has no responses, but otherwise...damn that Sash makes her an unexpected powerhouse.
Dundee (Feraligatr) @ Leftovers
Torrent
28 HP, 252 Special Attack, 228 Speed
Adamant
-Dragon Dance
-Waterfall
-Return
-Ice Punch
The Gyarados of UU does what she does best - tries to be Gyarados. After even one Dragon Dance, she becomes a force to be reckoned with. If she gets two in, God help the opposing team. I always get a laugh when my opponent switches Venusaur in to counter as I dance. After that one dance, Ice Punch almost always OHKOs what my opponent expected to be a hard counter! Waterfall will put a big dent into just about anything. The Aqua Jet may seem odd if I'm planning to boost my speed, but I've found it to be invaluable. It allows me to have another revenge killer. Additionally, once she starts dancing, people frequently bring in their priority to end her rampage. They get a nasty surprise when they get out-prioritized. A boosted Aqua Jet deals remarkable neutral damage. In particular, it's very fun against Fake-Outers and (especially) Sucker Punchers who find that they just did, essentially, nothing to this smiling gator.
The trouble comes when the omnipresent bulky waters come in. She is basically helpless against them. I usually just dance until I cannot take another hit, then blast them with Waterfall on my way out. I'm not too sure about the EVs, though. I just used the generic Smogon DD set, without question (tips are appreciated).
Turns out Aqua Jet is illegal with Dragon Dance. I also added leftovers to give him a bit more longevity and help him get more dances in. I'm really missing Aqua Jet so I'm considering switching DD to Swords Dance, but then I won't have the ability to outspeed almost everyone which really helps him. I'm actually far less happy with him now that he doesn't have both DD and Aqua Jet.
Wizrobe (Mismagius) @ Leftovers
Levitate
4 HP, 252 Special Attack, 252 Speed
Timid
-Nasty Plot
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power (Fighting)
-Substitute
Mismagius rounds out the team with another special option. Nasty Plot is an incredible move and Mismagius LOVES her new HG/SS toy. Shadow Ball and HP Fighting bring unresisted type coverage (very scary given the ability to double attacking power at the click of a button). Substitute allows her to laugh at anyone who tries to status or Sucker Punch her and, once she's hiding behind one, she becomes a whole lot scarier. Not too much to say. I frequently switch to her if any Fake Out leads bare their heads at Sceptile (she likes being able to come in later with her Sash intact and try a SD sweep). Aside from that, I usually leave her for the late game and after a Nasty Plot she becomes a pretty scary sweeper.
Mismagius is pretty strong after a Nasty Plot and not too intimidating without it, even with the Life Orb. I therefore added Leftovers to lengthen her stay and recover Substitute damage.
In Conclusion...
This team may seem a bit like I just smashed together a bunch of sweepers but I assure you it is more than that. I may not do any double switching or take part in stall battles and crazy mind games, but I have a lot of fun anyway. The hyper-aggressive lead puts my opponent on the defense and frequently, they scramble for purchase the whole battle as each scary sweeper they bring down just reveals another one. Each member of this team, bar Hitmonlee, has 6-0'ed an opposing team and it is this scary fact that really makes the team work.
As I said, I don't do any predictive switching, but when one of my sweepers goes down, I put a lot of thought into who comes in next. Things like: "Can Aggron get off a free Rock Polish? How about a Dragon Dance for Feraligatr? Do I need to get rid of hazards for the benefit of Alakazam?" I have answers to many common strategies I might encounter. I can stall out a Rain Dance team by throwing Alakazam in their way (taking down one of their sweepers with Grass Knot) and then waiting out the rain with Feraligatr. Once the rain stops, any member of the team can smash through the weaker team (Rain Dance teams are very frail and unreliable once the monsoon ends). Stat-uppers are faced with priority from Feraligatr and Hitmonlee to end their fun and make room for some stat-upping of my own. All in all, I play aggressively and either lose in less than twenty turns or (hopefully more often) win in twenty turns.
I'll also tell you all these stat-uppers have brought me frequent rage-quits as people helplessly lose their whole team to one Rock Polished Aggron or one Nasty Plotted Mismagius. Anyway, some tips would be highly appreciated and I'm very glad to have joined the community :)
