Gen 3 sinnerman [gen3uu]

[Hogg]

I absolutely love Advance UU, so I'd been looking forward to UUPL all year for an opportunity to play some great games. There's not a lot of support for the tier right now (make this an official PS tier plase :(), but it's also one of the most balanced metagames ever and a ton of fun to play.

Anyhow, I feel like Adv UU was stuck in boring balance for a little while, with Hypno/Plume/Blaster cores kind of dominating the tier, but this year has seen a shift away from those in favor of either heavily offensive teams or straight up stall and semi-stall. This here is probably my most offensive team to date, with just about every 'mon meant to pressure the opponent and keep them on the defensive.

I built the team around offensive BP Scyther, which could sweep on its own or pass off its boosts to scary-strong sweepers like Kanga/Nidoking, and added on offensive Water core of Sharpedo/Oma to finish off teams late-game. While the team looks like it should struggle with strong offensive threats like CB Kanga/Fearow, in practice it actually does fairly well versus them, using whatever move they lock themselves into as setup bait for Scyther or Oma.

I used this team twice in the UUPL manager bracket, winning both games, and now that the regular season is over, I thought I'd post up an RMT of it for feedback and so that people looking at getting into the tier themselves can give offense a chance.

THE TEAM

Nidoking @ Soft Sand

** sinnerman
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Megahorn
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam

I kind of love the ridiculous amount of pressure Nidoking puts on teams from turn 1. This thing is outrageously hard to switch into and outspeeds a hefty portion of the tier, meaning that unless the opponent is packing something like Quagsire, I can usually put them on the defensive from the very beginning. Ice Beam is pretty much solely for Gligar/Altaria, since the other moves hit stuff like Cradily and Vileplume harder. I used to run Lefties, but in the end found the passive recovery less useful than the damage boost from Soft Sand.

Kangaskhan @ Leftovers

** strange fruit
Ability: Early Bird
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Punch

All-out attacking Kanga is a beast. This set pretty much 1v1s the entire tier, and if it gets an SD pass from Scyther it almost always sweeps. Focus Punch is a great way to catch stuff like Cradily and Oma on the switch, and you can use it to prevent it from Recovering on you. Not much to say, Kanga is the best 'mon in the tier and while this set isn't the most common, it's pretty straightforward.

Scyther @ Salac Berry

** wild is the wind
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aerial Ace
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Baton Pass

This has been my favorite Scyther set lately, as it has the Speed and power to sweep on its own and can quickly BP out to something else when presented with a counter. HP Ground surprises standard Scyther counters like Aggron and does a decent enough chunk of damage to Omastar, plus hitting the electrics is always nice. I considered getting cute and running 64 HP Scyther, which always survives Modest Omastar's Ice Beam, but honestly this thing likes having the power to be able to sweep on its own.

Hypno @ Leftovers

** don't smoke in bed
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Psychic
- Reflect
- Brick Break / Toxic
- Wish

Hypno was pretty much a must, as it is the best all-around defensive pivot the tier has to offer. Because so much of this team is dedicated to balls out offense, I needed the role compression that only Hypno can really offer. The spread is pretty specific, with 252 HP/100+ SpD allowing Hypno to never be 2HKO'd by +1 Manectric's Crunch, letting Hypno switch in pretty freely to the electrics, while putting the rest in Defense to help against things like Kanga. Brick Break was a later addition, because I'd noticed people in UUPL had started running a specially defensive SubPunch Kanga spread that was built around setting up on the omnipresent Hypno. With a Sassy nature, Brick Break always breaks 212 HP Kanga's Sub, keeping it from setting up on you. If you're not worried about it, though, Toxic is obviously better overall (in which case switch to a Calm nature). Anyhow this does what it's supposed to do, pivoting into most attacks, setting up a Reflect, and pivoting out to the relevant sweeper.

Sharpedo @ Salac Berry

** mississippi goddam
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Endure
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Crunch

I hadn't really seen a lot of waterspam in Adv UU when I made this team, and I think it's really threatening. This team was built around the idea of cleaning up with Sharpedo + Oma, who pretty reliably break through just about every Special wall. This is standard Pedo, doing what it needs to (namely, scaring the crap out of the Psychics, discouraging Reversal spam and easily cleaning up late game). Usually this would come out first, weakening stuff like Tentacruel and Vileplume for Omastar to sweep later. It also benefits nicely from Oma's rain, though, in cases where Omaster gets the first setup opportunity.

Omastar @ Mystic Water

** mood indigo
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]

Good lord this thing is scary. Most people in UUPL at this point had been running physically defensive Omastar, which is a fine set, but it meant they were underprepared for the terror that is RD Omastar. This thing does a ridiculous 77% minimum to standard Hypno. I usually don't like to click Rain Dance until the whole opposing team is revealed, just because a few things like Tentacruel and Vileplume need to be weakened before this can actually sweep. That said, sometimes it has to come in early to threaten out Kanga or Fearow, at which point I usually lead with Ice Beam to catch any Plume/Meganium/Cradily. The spread hits 200 Speed while always avoiding the OHKO from Adamant CB EQ from Kanga (meaning with a Reflect up from Hypno it can pretty much always switch in safely).

Lum Berry is always an option over Mystic Water to avoid random paras, especially from SDef Hypno, but it's really hard to give up the sheer power of a Mystic Water Rain-boosted Hydro Pump.

REPLAYS

http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3ou-160406 - UUPL week 3, v teal6
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/smogtours-gen3ou-164012 - UUPL week 5, v fatty

importable

Nidoking @ Soft Sand
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Earthquake
- Megahorn
- Shadow Ball
- Ice Beam

Sharpedo @ Salac Berry
Ability: Rough Skin
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Endure
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Crunch

Kangaskhan @ Leftovers
Ability: Early Bird
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Double-Edge
- Earthquake
- Shadow Ball
- Focus Punch

Scyther @ Salac Berry
Ability: Swarm
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Aerial Ace
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Baton Pass

Hypno @ Leftovers
Ability: Insomnia
EVs: 252 HP / 156 Def / 100 SpD
Sassy Nature
- Psychic
- Reflect
- Toxic / Brick Break
- Wish

Omastar @ Mystic Water
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 40 HP / 252 SpA / 216 Spe
Modest Nature
- Rain Dance
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
- Hidden Power [Grass]

 

[ict]

Agreed ADV needs way more love, definetely the most fun meta to play and your team really represents a Top offensive teams.
Personally I wouldn't change anything but the matchup vs Choice Banded user such as Kangaskhan or Scyther are really threatening as your team really can't switch into them without taking a huge chunk. It's more like a game of prediction with Omastar+Nidoking vs Scyther and the same for Kangaskhan with Omastar+Kanga+Hypno. Reflect Hypno may help with that but you'd have to sack one mon in the process to get a safe switch in.
To help patch that up a bit I have following suggestions:
I've thought this out quite a bit and it came to my mind directly when I saw the team. Wish Kangaskhan.
Wish Kangaskhan is known to almost never die using the Wish Protect Combination and imagine that with a +2 passed by Scyther oo.
It will help with the electric weakness as much as Hypno and is as much as a Water check as Hypno aswell, it also passes big big wishes and is just very very decent combined with +2 attack and even on its own unboosted.
Basically I have two thoughts on this:

• Wish Kanga>4 Attacks Kangaskhan and Solrock>Hypno

As aforementioned Wish Kanga keeps the same things in check than Hypno, calcs blow, and Solrock helps out decently vs Kangaskhan making it having to predict with Shadow Ball/Focus Punch and also benefits a lot from Wish Support as Kangas wishes will get it to full most of the time. This, of course, won't let you patch up the Scyther weakness but its a kind of improvement because Defesnive Kanga can take on better on Scyther than offensive and you sort of can keep Scyther in barriers imo.

• Second though is still Wish Kanga>4 Attacks Kangaskhan and make Hypno Calm Mind pass.

This seems very fun to me and also not that consistent at the same time but it sure will be sick some time because SD pass and CM pass in one team might be unexpected. Basically the idea behind that was is that as Kanga takes the Wishpass role Hypno can support Sharpedo and Omastar which both decently benefit from CM pass making them really really troublesome so idk how you think about that, up 2 you can test it if you like it. I surely will because this team seems hella fun and the idea would be really cool too.

Kangaskhan set and calcs

Kangaskhan @ Leftovers
Ability: Early Bird
Happiness: 0
EVs: 248 HP / 44 Def / 216 SpD
Careful Nature
- Frustration
- Eartquake / Shadow Ball
- Protect
- Wish
This set takes really takes nothing from any electric and keeps opposing Rain Dance Omastars and Sharpedos in check
248 SpA Manectric Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 216+ SpD Kangaskhan: 115-136 (27.8 - 32.9%) -- 85.6% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
+1 248 SpA Manectric Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 216+ SpD Kangaskhan: 173-204 (41.8 - 49.3%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Electabuzz Thunderbolt vs. 248 HP / 216+ SpD Kangaskhan: 118-139 (28.5 - 33.6%) -- 97.5% chance to 4HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Omastar Hydro Pump vs. 248 HP / 216+ SpD Kangaskhan: 170-201 (41.1 - 48.6%) -- guaranteed 3HKO after Leftovers recovery
252+ SpA Omastar Hydro Pump vs. 248 HP / 216+ SpD Kangaskhan in Rain: 255-300 (61.7 - 72.6%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Leftovers recovery
^You can easily stall out pumps or even retaliate with +2 EQ if you want.
I guess you dont need the Solrock sets and Hypno sets but i was thinking about a Reflect Solrock, CM pass Hypno is pretty obvious and im too lazy to do that rn

Anyway hope I helped and looking forward if you take those changes into consideration!