SA1TS - UU
Introduction
After spending the last year or so seeing countless variations of the same teams and movesets in the weather-riddled OU landscape, I decided to try UU for the first time since the start of Gen IV. I've found it to be an incredibly entertaining tier, with available Pokemon and strategies wide-set with very few "standard teams".
I decided the best way to approach what is a new tier for me, was to start off with as many Pokemon as possible that I'm familiar battling with. The surprising result was a successful, well balanced team which has been great to play with. By utilizing double switches and smart Subbing (coupled with prediction...), opponents are usually left making the choice of foddering something to break my Sub or having half there team mauled to the ground. Well, that's the idea at least haha..
Team Building
A quick scan of the UU tier list was all it took to decide on the initial six, and there have only been two changes since. Many once great OU Pokemon have found themselves languishing in UU, this made selection easy as I am familiar with most of them competitively, as well as effective sets to utilize.
Flygon, Zapdos and Machamp where in many of my Gen 4 OU teams while also sporting decent synergy, so I immediately plugged them into the team builder. I realized an Ice resist was a necessity with both Zapdos and Flygon on the team, so my favourite bulky water, Suicune, was added.
While Flygon is a great scouting and pressure Pokemon, it lacks punch in dealing with bulkier walls so Scarf Togekiss was added as a second revenge killer, possible late game sweeper, and more importantly carried trick to cripple walls.
With yet another ice weakness and nothing to deal with BoltBeam users, I added a dedicated special wall in Snorlax to ease pressure and hopefully spread paralysis around the opponents team.
After some testing I realized this team lacked the ability to break through effective and well played stall teams. While Togekiss was great, it lacked the punch I needed and Snorlax was disappointing outside of tanking hits. I decided I needed two replacements dedicated to destroying stall and slower offensive teams. NP Azelf and the versatile Stall Breaker Mew were added, and finally the team was complete.
In-Depth
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Outrage
Flygon is generally my lead. Its speed and STAB coverage are amazing, coupled with U-Turn it is in my opinion the best scout in the Tier and can put immense pressure on my opponent. Being able to revenge Darmanitan, Chandelure, Victini, and especially Alakazam is also great. Due to its great typing its also very easy to switch in, resisting common Fire type moves and having an Immunity to both Ground and Electric moves (the latter being especially useful when faced with a Thunder Wave user).
Its role is simple, scout the opposing team while chipping away at their health and giving me favourable match-ups by utilizing U-Turn. Giving Suicune, Zapdos or Machamp the opportunity to get a free sub up as my opponent switches out usually leads to a KO, and is a cornerstone strategy of using this team. He also nets a surprising amount of KOs as many opponents will leave a Pokemon in KO range on the field expecting a U-Turn, only to be destroyed by STAB Outrage or Earthquake. He can also function as an effective late game cleaner on weakend teams.
The only odd move on the set is Toxic. This used to be Fire Punch but I found its coverage fairly redundant alongside Flygons STAB moves, and crippling a bulky switch-in like Tangrowth, Milotic or Slowbro with an unexpected Toxic just warms my heart. Being choice locked into Toxic obviously has its down sides, but predicting the switch in is usually easy enough and piles the pressure straight back onto the opponent.
Max speed and attack EVs are a given to be as fast and hit as hard as possible. The last 4 EVs are placed in defense for the ever so slight buff they'll give Flygon against priority moves and the fact that most Rock moves are physical and Flygons often called in to take these attacks if I don't want to risk Machamp. A Jolly nature is preferred to Adamant to get the jump on opposing scarfed Flygon and Victini not sporting a +speed nature and get the tie with ones which do.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 180 Def / 56 SAtk / 24 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
Bulky Zapdos is a beast. It tanks so many hits for the team and can stall out dangerous moves with a combination of Sub, Roost and Pressure. Its two offensive moves, Thunderbolt and Heat wave, provide decent coverage and can take down threats such as Slowbro and Escavalier. Even with minimal investment in Special Attack, it still packs a massive punch and dents pretty much everything in UU with the two listed moves.
Zapdos' fantastic typing makes it a great defensive switch in on many moves my other Pokemon are weak to. It can tank Grass, Bug and Fighting moves with ease and has an ever useful immunity to Earthquake. Crucially, it also resists Flying type moves which can be problematic to my team as none of its teammates can safely switch into Brave Bird from the likes of CB Crobat or Air Slash from Togekiss.
The only problem with Zapdos is its inability to deal with dedicated special walls, particularly Snorlax and Dusclops. I have considered replacing Heat Wave with Toxic to help remedy this but many Snorlax' utilize a RestTalk set which makes the change redundant, and the loss of coverage is also a pain.
Zapdos isn't limited to a defensive roll either, it has swept entire teams lacking the aforementioned counters when given the chance to get a free Sub up.
A Bold nature and heavy HP and Defense investment are used to better tank physical hits. The Special Attack EVs allow for a 1HKO on Slowbro and just a general buff to better help it maim the opponents team. I don't recall what the small investment in Speed was for and I've considered dropping these and placing them in Defense, or even Special Defence to help ever so slightly with my Alakazam weakness.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Scald
- Substitute
Another legendary finds its way onto my team, CM Suicune. Its fantastic typing and natural defenses make it tough to take down and it can tank dangerous moves such as Scarf Victinis V-Create or CB Mamoswines Icicle Crash. This set, however, is not aimed at being a wall or dedicated to tanking hits. Many opponents have not been prepared for a full-out offensive Suicune and it usually takes out at least two Pokes if it has a Sub and 1 CM under its belt.
The set has undergone many changes to get to what it is now. Originally I had a Specs set which had fantastic surprise factor but in the end the damage output simply wasn't enough. I then cycled through using a CM 3 attacks set and played around with various coverage moves (HP [Electric], Shadowball, Ice Beam), but finally settled on the set you see above.
Substitute is just a fantastic move and keeps to the pressure theme of this team, it also allows it to set up safely against walls who try to status it and don't have the power to break its subs (Damn you Seismic Toss & Night Shade...). Calm Mind is self explanatory, boosting its Special Attack/Defense to turn it into both a special tank and destructive force. Scald was chosen over Surf to possibly cripple a physical attacker, allowing Suicune to accumulate more CM boosts. HP [Grass] was chosen as the coverage move to deal with opposing bulky waters and, more specifically, Lanturn and the ever annoying Unaware Quagsire who would otherwise ignore my stat boosts and phaze or even set-up on my Suicune.
I've considered changing it to a Modest nature and shifting some speed EVS into HP for more bulk and power, but with Suicunes great natural bulk and CM boosting its Special Attack already, I decided to stick with max Speed Timid. The EVs allow Suicune to hit as hard and fast as possible.
Machamp (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- DynamicPunch
- Stone Edge
- Bullet Punch
Machamp is probably the MVP of this team, how its been demoted to UU I have no idea. 'Champ destroys so many defensive cores its scary, paving the way for its teammates to run through a weakened team. He is also my most reliable way of getting through Clefable & Snorlax.
DynamicPunch coming off base 130 Attack coupled with STAB is scary, and while I don't enjoy hax (for or against me) the 100% confusion can also be useful to force switches. Stone Edge provides excellent coverage alongside Machamps STAB and annihilates most flying type switch-ins who are obviously problematic to him. Often I won't use Substitute and immediately click on SE if I know my opponent has a flying type, which is often their only answer to DP's immense power.
Substitute provides Machamp with the cover he needs to excel, protecting him from status and easing prediction against well built teams & intelligent players. His surprising bulk often leaves his Sub intact from weaker attackers, usually the other players only solid counter to Machamp. Bullet punch is the only priority move on the team and has come in handy against fast/scarfed Pokemon, particularly Alakazam, Azelf and Froslass. It also negates his horrendous speed which is the only let down on this great 'Mon. I originally had Ice Punch over Bullet Punch purely to hit Gligar (and to a lesser extent, Flygon) harder, but its usefulness was situational at best and in the end priority won out against coverage.
An Adamant nature with maxed out Attack EV's are standard fair for Machamp to cause as much carnage as possible. 252 HP gives him decent bulk, although I've considered putting a few of those EV's into Speed because being outsped by Clefable is just embarrassing...
Mew @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SDef / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Softboiled
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Psychic
Mew is the the least familiar team member to me, as I've never been a Ubers fan where this little pixie has resided for so long. Having said that, I jumped at the opportunity to finally use Mew in a competitive team.
As I didn't have any experience using Mew, I ripped the set straight from Smogon - but Smogon is the battling standard for a reason. This set is amazing, shutting down so many Pokemon and destroying stall teams once their magic mirror/prankster users are out of the way (a rage quit usually ensues once this happens and Mews annoying skills are unleashed).
Against teams where its ability to shut down stat uppers, physical attackers or stall Pokemon isn't required or its filled its role already, Mew becomes a great pivot to tank stray hits from diverse attackers or finding out what move a choiched 'Mon has selected.
Mews great bulk and instant recovery in the form of Softboiled or Roost allow it to switch into many powerful threats and can usually heal of the damage to come in and wall again later, or at least cripple something using Taunt or Will-O-Wisp to provide an opportunity for one of its offensive teammates to come in for free. Originally I used Surf in place of Psychic to nail Victini, Arcanine & Houndoom trying to switch in on a predicted Will-O-Wisp, but without STAB or SpAtk investment it was fairly useless against anything that wasn't weak to water. Synchronize is actually a great ability, forcing status users to be careful lest they get inflicted with the very condition they're trying to sling around.
The nature and EV's allow Mew to outspeed base 90's, HP is then maxed out for as much overall bulk as possible with the remainder pumped into SpDef as Mew can effectively neuter non fire type physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.
Azelf @ Lum Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Psyshock
- Flamethrower
- Grass Knot
While many people opt for Mew as their Nasty Plot sweeper for its defenses and coverage with Aura Sphere, I prefer the raw power and speed of Azelf. Besides, Mew already has an invaluable role on this team.
Azelfs job is to deal with stubborn walls by quickly whittling away their HP or outright KO'ing most Pokemon after a NP boost. Due to the popularity of the Stealth Rock and Scarf sets, it's also surprisingly easy to get a turn to set up as the opponent will often switch to either a wall or Rapid Spinner, or simply switch for fear of being KO'd.
Even without a +2 under its belt, Azelf still hits extremely hard and has a fantastic movepool to back up those impressive attacking stats. The coverage provided by its 3 attacking moves is awesome, taking out key threats in the UU metagame with ease.
Psyshock is the obligatory STAB move and gives Azelf a way of hitting special walls, the reason it's preferred over the more powerful Psychic, and hits anything that doesn't resist it for solid damage. Flamethrower takes care of Steel types, chief among those being Escavalier though most people are smart enough not to bring/leave it in against Azelf. While Fire Blasts extra power is appealing I prefer the accuracy of Flamethrower as an untimely miss can spell doom for this team, let alone the fragile Azelf.
The last move was a bit of a toss up. HP [Fighting] would allow Azelf to deal with Dark types on the switch or ones not carrying Sucker Punch, but the relatively low power put me off. I ran Thunderbolt a few times to hit Flying types for super effective damage while maintaining coverage on the multitude of water-types in UU, but the likes of Swampert found it too easy to come in and roar Azelf away or even set up SR. Grass Knot was chosen to deal with the aforementioned threats.
I've tried Life Orb over Lum Berry, but being able to set up against or switch into status moves is an asset too valuable to the team to give up. A Timid nature is preferred to Modest for the sheer amount of Pokemon it outspeeds when maxed, and NP can be used to jack its SpAtk to sky-high levels in any case. The EVs are used to maximize Azelfs crazy offensive capabilities with the "extra" 4 placed in SpD (the same as Suicune) to avoid Download Pokemon getting a free boost.
Possible Changes
While I'm incredibly happy with the team, I have considered replacing Azelf with a simple Focus Sash 4 attack Alakazam for the extra speed and initial power, or a CM Stored Power Sigilyph who is a nightmare for stall. It also seems wasted not to have hazards on a team that focuses on causing switches but I haven't been able to find a moveslot, switching Mew for Magic Mirror Xatu may do the trick.
Threat List
Alakazam: This guy hits incredibly hard, and my lack of a special wall doesn't help. I always keep Flygon around if I see this in team preview & have to predict its switch in and break its Sash with U-Turn (I always assume they have a Sash), or if that's not possible I usually have to fodder something in order to revenge it with Flygon/Bullet Punch. A real problem if not played around properly, but if it comes in on anything with a Sub up its much easier to deal with.
Arcanine: Almost none of its sets pose a real threat barring Life Orb. Zapdos can take a hit well but cant Roost off the damage fast enough if its forced to switch in due to the minimal speed investment. Suicune has to be wary of Wild Charge. Flygon & Azelf take quite a hit from ExtremeSpeed. With good prediction I can normally get away with minimal damage though.
Azelf: Nothing annoys me more than losing Flygon on turn 1 to Choice Scarf Ice Punch, but that allows me to bring in Suicune for a free turn. Zapdos or 'Cune don't mind taking a trick. Other versions aren't difficult to deal with but its versatility makes it dangerous.
Escavalier: This thing hits like a truck but Machamp does well against it, Zapdos laughs at it, and Azelf can easily demolish it with Flamethrower although it cant switch in. Mew can also cripple it with a burn, turning it into set up fodder.
Froslass: Froslass poses three treats to this team, a fast destiny bond, Thunder Wave & Spikes, as I don't carry a Spinner. My tactic is always the same with this, hit it hard and fast and always kill it with Bullet Punch, Azelf, or Flygon to avoid Destiny Bond (Though I must be weary of the rare Ice Shard with the last).
Heracross: Scarf Heracross is dangerous in tight games as its Close Combat can rip through my team if Mew, Zapdos and Flygon are weakened or dead. Some conservative play is sometimes necessary, but fortunately Scarf Heracross isn't usually preserved as a late game cleaner as its forced to come in to break Subs and subsequently gets KO'd.
Mew: NP Life Orb Mew can be dangerous if given freedom to set up. Zapdos and Suicune do fairly well against it and Flygon can revenge it. Its the random sets that pose the biggest headache though, you never know what that lil' guys running.....
Snorlax: As mentioned earlier the RestTalk set with Body Slam and Whirlwind can be annoying. Azelf can do a chunk with boosted Psyshock and Machamp demolishes it if given the chance. Mew can Taunt, Burn then stall it to death- though seemingly always at the cost of being paralyzed. For a 30% chance to paralyze it sure happens a lot, sighhhh.
Zapdos: Once again the lack of a dedicated special wall is problematic if my opponents running the Life Orb set. If I have something behind a sub it normally doesn't last too long, if not HP [Ice] variants take solid prediction to avoid having something KO'd.
_________________________________________________________________
Well that's the RMT. I think its time to retire the team as its run its course. Please fire away with any and all comments, try the team, and thanks for taking the time to read this.
Introduction
After spending the last year or so seeing countless variations of the same teams and movesets in the weather-riddled OU landscape, I decided to try UU for the first time since the start of Gen IV. I've found it to be an incredibly entertaining tier, with available Pokemon and strategies wide-set with very few "standard teams".
I decided the best way to approach what is a new tier for me, was to start off with as many Pokemon as possible that I'm familiar battling with. The surprising result was a successful, well balanced team which has been great to play with. By utilizing double switches and smart Subbing (coupled with prediction...), opponents are usually left making the choice of foddering something to break my Sub or having half there team mauled to the ground. Well, that's the idea at least haha..
Team Building
A quick scan of the UU tier list was all it took to decide on the initial six, and there have only been two changes since. Many once great OU Pokemon have found themselves languishing in UU, this made selection easy as I am familiar with most of them competitively, as well as effective sets to utilize.
Flygon, Zapdos and Machamp where in many of my Gen 4 OU teams while also sporting decent synergy, so I immediately plugged them into the team builder. I realized an Ice resist was a necessity with both Zapdos and Flygon on the team, so my favourite bulky water, Suicune, was added.
While Flygon is a great scouting and pressure Pokemon, it lacks punch in dealing with bulkier walls so Scarf Togekiss was added as a second revenge killer, possible late game sweeper, and more importantly carried trick to cripple walls.
With yet another ice weakness and nothing to deal with BoltBeam users, I added a dedicated special wall in Snorlax to ease pressure and hopefully spread paralysis around the opponents team.
After some testing I realized this team lacked the ability to break through effective and well played stall teams. While Togekiss was great, it lacked the punch I needed and Snorlax was disappointing outside of tanking hits. I decided I needed two replacements dedicated to destroying stall and slower offensive teams. NP Azelf and the versatile Stall Breaker Mew were added, and finally the team was complete.
In-Depth
Flygon (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- U-turn
- Toxic
- Earthquake
- Outrage
Flygon is generally my lead. Its speed and STAB coverage are amazing, coupled with U-Turn it is in my opinion the best scout in the Tier and can put immense pressure on my opponent. Being able to revenge Darmanitan, Chandelure, Victini, and especially Alakazam is also great. Due to its great typing its also very easy to switch in, resisting common Fire type moves and having an Immunity to both Ground and Electric moves (the latter being especially useful when faced with a Thunder Wave user).
Its role is simple, scout the opposing team while chipping away at their health and giving me favourable match-ups by utilizing U-Turn. Giving Suicune, Zapdos or Machamp the opportunity to get a free sub up as my opponent switches out usually leads to a KO, and is a cornerstone strategy of using this team. He also nets a surprising amount of KOs as many opponents will leave a Pokemon in KO range on the field expecting a U-Turn, only to be destroyed by STAB Outrage or Earthquake. He can also function as an effective late game cleaner on weakend teams.
The only odd move on the set is Toxic. This used to be Fire Punch but I found its coverage fairly redundant alongside Flygons STAB moves, and crippling a bulky switch-in like Tangrowth, Milotic or Slowbro with an unexpected Toxic just warms my heart. Being choice locked into Toxic obviously has its down sides, but predicting the switch in is usually easy enough and piles the pressure straight back onto the opponent.
Max speed and attack EVs are a given to be as fast and hit as hard as possible. The last 4 EVs are placed in defense for the ever so slight buff they'll give Flygon against priority moves and the fact that most Rock moves are physical and Flygons often called in to take these attacks if I don't want to risk Machamp. A Jolly nature is preferred to Adamant to get the jump on opposing scarfed Flygon and Victini not sporting a +speed nature and get the tie with ones which do.
Zapdos @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 180 Def / 56 SAtk / 24 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Roost
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
Bulky Zapdos is a beast. It tanks so many hits for the team and can stall out dangerous moves with a combination of Sub, Roost and Pressure. Its two offensive moves, Thunderbolt and Heat wave, provide decent coverage and can take down threats such as Slowbro and Escavalier. Even with minimal investment in Special Attack, it still packs a massive punch and dents pretty much everything in UU with the two listed moves.
Zapdos' fantastic typing makes it a great defensive switch in on many moves my other Pokemon are weak to. It can tank Grass, Bug and Fighting moves with ease and has an ever useful immunity to Earthquake. Crucially, it also resists Flying type moves which can be problematic to my team as none of its teammates can safely switch into Brave Bird from the likes of CB Crobat or Air Slash from Togekiss.
The only problem with Zapdos is its inability to deal with dedicated special walls, particularly Snorlax and Dusclops. I have considered replacing Heat Wave with Toxic to help remedy this but many Snorlax' utilize a RestTalk set which makes the change redundant, and the loss of coverage is also a pain.
Zapdos isn't limited to a defensive roll either, it has swept entire teams lacking the aforementioned counters when given the chance to get a free Sub up.
A Bold nature and heavy HP and Defense investment are used to better tank physical hits. The Special Attack EVs allow for a 1HKO on Slowbro and just a general buff to better help it maim the opponents team. I don't recall what the small investment in Speed was for and I've considered dropping these and placing them in Defense, or even Special Defence to help ever so slightly with my Alakazam weakness.
Suicune @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Grass]
- Scald
- Substitute
Another legendary finds its way onto my team, CM Suicune. Its fantastic typing and natural defenses make it tough to take down and it can tank dangerous moves such as Scarf Victinis V-Create or CB Mamoswines Icicle Crash. This set, however, is not aimed at being a wall or dedicated to tanking hits. Many opponents have not been prepared for a full-out offensive Suicune and it usually takes out at least two Pokes if it has a Sub and 1 CM under its belt.
The set has undergone many changes to get to what it is now. Originally I had a Specs set which had fantastic surprise factor but in the end the damage output simply wasn't enough. I then cycled through using a CM 3 attacks set and played around with various coverage moves (HP [Electric], Shadowball, Ice Beam), but finally settled on the set you see above.
Substitute is just a fantastic move and keeps to the pressure theme of this team, it also allows it to set up safely against walls who try to status it and don't have the power to break its subs (Damn you Seismic Toss & Night Shade...). Calm Mind is self explanatory, boosting its Special Attack/Defense to turn it into both a special tank and destructive force. Scald was chosen over Surf to possibly cripple a physical attacker, allowing Suicune to accumulate more CM boosts. HP [Grass] was chosen as the coverage move to deal with opposing bulky waters and, more specifically, Lanturn and the ever annoying Unaware Quagsire who would otherwise ignore my stat boosts and phaze or even set-up on my Suicune.
I've considered changing it to a Modest nature and shifting some speed EVS into HP for more bulk and power, but with Suicunes great natural bulk and CM boosting its Special Attack already, I decided to stick with max Speed Timid. The EVs allow Suicune to hit as hard and fast as possible.
Machamp (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: No Guard
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- DynamicPunch
- Stone Edge
- Bullet Punch
Machamp is probably the MVP of this team, how its been demoted to UU I have no idea. 'Champ destroys so many defensive cores its scary, paving the way for its teammates to run through a weakened team. He is also my most reliable way of getting through Clefable & Snorlax.
DynamicPunch coming off base 130 Attack coupled with STAB is scary, and while I don't enjoy hax (for or against me) the 100% confusion can also be useful to force switches. Stone Edge provides excellent coverage alongside Machamps STAB and annihilates most flying type switch-ins who are obviously problematic to him. Often I won't use Substitute and immediately click on SE if I know my opponent has a flying type, which is often their only answer to DP's immense power.
Substitute provides Machamp with the cover he needs to excel, protecting him from status and easing prediction against well built teams & intelligent players. His surprising bulk often leaves his Sub intact from weaker attackers, usually the other players only solid counter to Machamp. Bullet punch is the only priority move on the team and has come in handy against fast/scarfed Pokemon, particularly Alakazam, Azelf and Froslass. It also negates his horrendous speed which is the only let down on this great 'Mon. I originally had Ice Punch over Bullet Punch purely to hit Gligar (and to a lesser extent, Flygon) harder, but its usefulness was situational at best and in the end priority won out against coverage.
An Adamant nature with maxed out Attack EV's are standard fair for Machamp to cause as much carnage as possible. 252 HP gives him decent bulk, although I've considered putting a few of those EV's into Speed because being outsped by Clefable is just embarrassing...
Mew @ Leftovers
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 80 SDef / 176 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Softboiled
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Psychic
Mew is the the least familiar team member to me, as I've never been a Ubers fan where this little pixie has resided for so long. Having said that, I jumped at the opportunity to finally use Mew in a competitive team.
As I didn't have any experience using Mew, I ripped the set straight from Smogon - but Smogon is the battling standard for a reason. This set is amazing, shutting down so many Pokemon and destroying stall teams once their magic mirror/prankster users are out of the way (a rage quit usually ensues once this happens and Mews annoying skills are unleashed).
Against teams where its ability to shut down stat uppers, physical attackers or stall Pokemon isn't required or its filled its role already, Mew becomes a great pivot to tank stray hits from diverse attackers or finding out what move a choiched 'Mon has selected.
Mews great bulk and instant recovery in the form of Softboiled or Roost allow it to switch into many powerful threats and can usually heal of the damage to come in and wall again later, or at least cripple something using Taunt or Will-O-Wisp to provide an opportunity for one of its offensive teammates to come in for free. Originally I used Surf in place of Psychic to nail Victini, Arcanine & Houndoom trying to switch in on a predicted Will-O-Wisp, but without STAB or SpAtk investment it was fairly useless against anything that wasn't weak to water. Synchronize is actually a great ability, forcing status users to be careful lest they get inflicted with the very condition they're trying to sling around.
The nature and EV's allow Mew to outspeed base 90's, HP is then maxed out for as much overall bulk as possible with the remainder pumped into SpDef as Mew can effectively neuter non fire type physical attackers with Will-O-Wisp.
Azelf @ Lum Berry
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 SAtk / 4 SDef / 252 Spd
Timid Nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Psyshock
- Flamethrower
- Grass Knot
While many people opt for Mew as their Nasty Plot sweeper for its defenses and coverage with Aura Sphere, I prefer the raw power and speed of Azelf. Besides, Mew already has an invaluable role on this team.
Azelfs job is to deal with stubborn walls by quickly whittling away their HP or outright KO'ing most Pokemon after a NP boost. Due to the popularity of the Stealth Rock and Scarf sets, it's also surprisingly easy to get a turn to set up as the opponent will often switch to either a wall or Rapid Spinner, or simply switch for fear of being KO'd.
Even without a +2 under its belt, Azelf still hits extremely hard and has a fantastic movepool to back up those impressive attacking stats. The coverage provided by its 3 attacking moves is awesome, taking out key threats in the UU metagame with ease.
Psyshock is the obligatory STAB move and gives Azelf a way of hitting special walls, the reason it's preferred over the more powerful Psychic, and hits anything that doesn't resist it for solid damage. Flamethrower takes care of Steel types, chief among those being Escavalier though most people are smart enough not to bring/leave it in against Azelf. While Fire Blasts extra power is appealing I prefer the accuracy of Flamethrower as an untimely miss can spell doom for this team, let alone the fragile Azelf.
The last move was a bit of a toss up. HP [Fighting] would allow Azelf to deal with Dark types on the switch or ones not carrying Sucker Punch, but the relatively low power put me off. I ran Thunderbolt a few times to hit Flying types for super effective damage while maintaining coverage on the multitude of water-types in UU, but the likes of Swampert found it too easy to come in and roar Azelf away or even set up SR. Grass Knot was chosen to deal with the aforementioned threats.
I've tried Life Orb over Lum Berry, but being able to set up against or switch into status moves is an asset too valuable to the team to give up. A Timid nature is preferred to Modest for the sheer amount of Pokemon it outspeeds when maxed, and NP can be used to jack its SpAtk to sky-high levels in any case. The EVs are used to maximize Azelfs crazy offensive capabilities with the "extra" 4 placed in SpD (the same as Suicune) to avoid Download Pokemon getting a free boost.
Possible Changes
While I'm incredibly happy with the team, I have considered replacing Azelf with a simple Focus Sash 4 attack Alakazam for the extra speed and initial power, or a CM Stored Power Sigilyph who is a nightmare for stall. It also seems wasted not to have hazards on a team that focuses on causing switches but I haven't been able to find a moveslot, switching Mew for Magic Mirror Xatu may do the trick.
Threat List
Alakazam: This guy hits incredibly hard, and my lack of a special wall doesn't help. I always keep Flygon around if I see this in team preview & have to predict its switch in and break its Sash with U-Turn (I always assume they have a Sash), or if that's not possible I usually have to fodder something in order to revenge it with Flygon/Bullet Punch. A real problem if not played around properly, but if it comes in on anything with a Sub up its much easier to deal with.
Arcanine: Almost none of its sets pose a real threat barring Life Orb. Zapdos can take a hit well but cant Roost off the damage fast enough if its forced to switch in due to the minimal speed investment. Suicune has to be wary of Wild Charge. Flygon & Azelf take quite a hit from ExtremeSpeed. With good prediction I can normally get away with minimal damage though.
Azelf: Nothing annoys me more than losing Flygon on turn 1 to Choice Scarf Ice Punch, but that allows me to bring in Suicune for a free turn. Zapdos or 'Cune don't mind taking a trick. Other versions aren't difficult to deal with but its versatility makes it dangerous.
Escavalier: This thing hits like a truck but Machamp does well against it, Zapdos laughs at it, and Azelf can easily demolish it with Flamethrower although it cant switch in. Mew can also cripple it with a burn, turning it into set up fodder.
Froslass: Froslass poses three treats to this team, a fast destiny bond, Thunder Wave & Spikes, as I don't carry a Spinner. My tactic is always the same with this, hit it hard and fast and always kill it with Bullet Punch, Azelf, or Flygon to avoid Destiny Bond (Though I must be weary of the rare Ice Shard with the last).
Heracross: Scarf Heracross is dangerous in tight games as its Close Combat can rip through my team if Mew, Zapdos and Flygon are weakened or dead. Some conservative play is sometimes necessary, but fortunately Scarf Heracross isn't usually preserved as a late game cleaner as its forced to come in to break Subs and subsequently gets KO'd.
Mew: NP Life Orb Mew can be dangerous if given freedom to set up. Zapdos and Suicune do fairly well against it and Flygon can revenge it. Its the random sets that pose the biggest headache though, you never know what that lil' guys running.....
Snorlax: As mentioned earlier the RestTalk set with Body Slam and Whirlwind can be annoying. Azelf can do a chunk with boosted Psyshock and Machamp demolishes it if given the chance. Mew can Taunt, Burn then stall it to death- though seemingly always at the cost of being paralyzed. For a 30% chance to paralyze it sure happens a lot, sighhhh.
Zapdos: Once again the lack of a dedicated special wall is problematic if my opponents running the Life Orb set. If I have something behind a sub it normally doesn't last too long, if not HP [Ice] variants take solid prediction to avoid having something KO'd.
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Well that's the RMT. I think its time to retire the team as its run its course. Please fire away with any and all comments, try the team, and thanks for taking the time to read this.
