Good day, smogoners. So, here's the team I used to hit reqs on the UU ladder this round (I don't really remember now my highest position on ladder 'cause I don't really give a fuck about it). If you ever faced a dude using Gallade last month, it was probably me under one of my 120249147934710374 alts. While the original idea was just making a dumb gimmicky team to see how people react against Gallade, a few moments of brainstorming made me able to build a good team against the current metagame.
---
Notable Threats:
: Was easier to deal when I had Rhyperior, but now he can switch quite easily on Espeon and Celebi and simply spam Fire Blasts, leaving me completely helpless. If he's dumb enough to Nasty Plot, I can send Staraptor to make him vanish, though. If I manage to paralyze him and set up SR, it makes my life easier. Fortunately his usage is not high enough.
: Fucking Kamen Rider! Being able to switch with ease on Espeon and Celebi again and beat Slowbro makes him quite dangerous. Even worse, I can't even Intimidate him with Raptor because his trait will increase the Atk instead of drop! Again, was easier to deal with Rhyperior, but same situation: low usage, so idgaf.
: I must predict his moves very well against a Specs user, because an Overheat will fuck up Registeel, Celebi and Espeon and a Thunderbolt/Volt Switch screw the poor Slowbro. Fortunately he's weak to SR, but still quite dangerous.
: Simple enough: Megahorn fucks Slowbro and Close Combat for Registeel, so I must predict well. Team preview easier things a bit, making blind Psychics of Celebi a solution. In a pinch situaion I can actually use Staraptor as a switch, because Intimidate hinders him somewhat. A non-Choice Cross can 6x0 me easily, especially with Substitute.
Overview:
In depth:
(art by Xous54)
Razorblade (Gallade) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 64 Def / 192 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Leaf Blade
- Shadow Sneak
Remember him? It's Gardevoir's lover, the nigslammer Gallade. Banned from UU in the last gen and now a forgotten threat. Well, with Staraptor everywhere he seems a bit shabby, truly, but how do you actually beat one without the hawk? With that in mind, my goal was to get rid of Raptor and using a set that would surprise what usually walls him.
I chose Drain Punch as my STAB simply because its recovery is just too good to be true. With those Defense EVs, I can always survive a LO Waterfall/Crunch from Sharpedo and a Jolly CBDuggy EQ, killing them back with Drain Punch and keeping myself healthy again.
Most players don't even remember that Gallade learns Leaf Blade, sending their Slowbro/Donphan completely unaware. Lum Berry is there to save my ass against Will-O-Wisp and other status problems, surprising Mew or Venomoth, for example.
If I'm feeling confident enough, I even stay against Staraptor for the obvious U-turn, killing a mon in the process, but it's better to play conservative overall.
Possible changes: I could try other sets: CB packs a good punch and can surprise a lot of things, for example, but the team was quite successful with the SD set.
(art by Fatecrashers)
Sazae-oni (Slowbro) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
Calm Mind? Cool story, bro! No, really, Calm Mind can surprise many, many things, allowing Bro to beat some foes he would choke against otherwise. Scald and Thunder Wave for double status is always helpful, mainly TW considering how my team is not really fast.
And I gotta say, Regenerator is one of the best abilities of the game: I can switch on Staraptor, take a Brave Bird like a boss, switch to Registeel, then repeat until the bird dies from his own recoil. It happens to be my main strategy to allow a Gallade sweep, actually.
Slowbro is probably the best physical wall of UU, hands down. Bros before hoes, man.
Possible changes: Nothing, imo.
(art by Tails19950)
Nemureru Mori no Hanayome (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 96 SAtk / 96 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Psychic
- Recover
Pretty much the best response to all Scald users of UU (seriously, I'm fucking paranoid with those random burns), which my little Espy fails to avoid. Actually the intention is being another Staraptor bait: if I got Stealth Rock up, one predicted Psychic is almost enough to finish the almighty hawk, allowing Gallade rape. Plus, it's always funny to Psychic against random Heracross switch-ins (~53% to OHKO after SR damage).
The EV spread seems a bit weird I guess, but let me explain: it allows Celebi to survive a LO Crunch from Adamant Sharpedo and a LO Icicle Crash from Jolly Mamo, OHKOing them back with Giga Drain after a NP, recovering most of his HP in the process. 96 Spd outspeeds Adamant Mamoswine, whom otherwise would kill him.
Possible changes: Considering that fancy Swords Dance + Sucker Punch set to eat Staraptor alive, but Giga Drain is just too amazing to give up...
(art by NitroDS)
Gregory and the Hawk (Staraptor) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Double-Edge
- Close Combat
- U-turn
Before you say "Hey RF, you forgot to put Reckless as trait!", no, good sir, I'm using an Intimidate Raptor on a serious team. Why, you wonder? 'Cause it's better in mostly of the situations: I can't count how many times Intimidate saved my butt on lategame or against some random rarely used sweeper that I'm kinda weak to, and I'm not even joking. Reckless boost is kinda shitty and almost never made any difference at my battles, then I realized how good Intimidate could be and here we are, folks.
Well, I believe everybody knows how the hawk pecks, but yea, Brave Bird to hit like a truck, Double-Edge helps against stuff like Zapdos or Raikou, Close Combat to break Rhyperior/Empoleon/Registeel and U-turn to make smart switches while dealing damage at the same time. Finally, Choice Scarf was chosen to compensate the lack of Spd of my team (albeit I have Thunder Wave), so he can be a nice revenge killer and great against offensive teams.
Possible changes: Jolly nature over Adamant, perhaps. I recall choking to a Timid Venomoth after a Quiver Dance once and it's not even funny. ): The extra power from Adamant would be really missed, though.
(art by Tails19950)
My Iron Lung (Registeel) @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
The head shrinkers, they want everything! Registeel is my premier wall, offering good support with Stealth Rock and a second Thunder Wave. Seismic Toss is mainly for Raikou and things like Durant, I guess. Iron Head makes ahaxy nice couple with TW, and also hits Mismagius, a deadly sweeper against my team.
This slot originally was a SubRhyperior with Stealth Rock, but I decided to try a Registeel to have more chances against Electrics and special sweepers overall. Losing to Dugtrio is lame, though.
Possible changes: Huh, nothing.
(art by Tails19950)
Matamune (Espeon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Wish
- Protect
May I present to you a little gem of mine, the amazing anti-Hailmon, yeah, bulky WishEspeon. Seems a bit dumb on paper, but it works, I swear. Can switch everyday on Abomasnow, Nidoqueen, Walrein and that little bitch also known as Froslass, dishing Blizzspams with ease using Calm Mind coupled with Wish. Too bad his Wishes heals for only 167 HP, but well it's better than nothing.
The shitload of defense allows Espy to survive from things like Donphan's Earthquake, Flygon's/Staraptor's U-turn etc. Protect is always good to ease prediction against Choicemons. Being able to beat Chansey 1x1, and of course, bouncing hazards and status makes the cute Nekomata one of the most important members of the team.
Oh, yeah, this slot also was different: a Xatu with Thunder Wave and U-turn. It was better to escape against Darkmons and paralyze gullible sweepers, but I was fucking weak to Hail teams overall.
Possible changes: I'd consider Psychic or even Stored Power over Psyshock, but the first makes Chansey harder to beat without CHs/SDef drops, and Stored Power lacks immediate power, so I'm sticking with Psyshock for the moment.
In depth:
(art by Xous54)
Razorblade (Gallade) (M) @ Lum Berry
Trait: Steadfast
EVs: 252 Atk / 64 Def / 192 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Drain Punch
- Leaf Blade
- Shadow Sneak
Remember him? It's Gardevoir's lover, the nigslammer Gallade. Banned from UU in the last gen and now a forgotten threat. Well, with Staraptor everywhere he seems a bit shabby, truly, but how do you actually beat one without the hawk? With that in mind, my goal was to get rid of Raptor and using a set that would surprise what usually walls him.
I chose Drain Punch as my STAB simply because its recovery is just too good to be true. With those Defense EVs, I can always survive a LO Waterfall/Crunch from Sharpedo and a Jolly CBDuggy EQ, killing them back with Drain Punch and keeping myself healthy again.
Most players don't even remember that Gallade learns Leaf Blade, sending their Slowbro/Donphan completely unaware. Lum Berry is there to save my ass against Will-O-Wisp and other status problems, surprising Mew or Venomoth, for example.
If I'm feeling confident enough, I even stay against Staraptor for the obvious U-turn, killing a mon in the process, but it's better to play conservative overall.
Possible changes: I could try other sets: CB packs a good punch and can surprise a lot of things, for example, but the team was quite successful with the SD set.
(art by Fatecrashers)
Sazae-oni (Slowbro) (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Regenerator
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Scald
- Slack Off
- Thunder Wave
Calm Mind? Cool story, bro! No, really, Calm Mind can surprise many, many things, allowing Bro to beat some foes he would choke against otherwise. Scald and Thunder Wave for double status is always helpful, mainly TW considering how my team is not really fast.
And I gotta say, Regenerator is one of the best abilities of the game: I can switch on Staraptor, take a Brave Bird like a boss, switch to Registeel, then repeat until the bird dies from his own recoil. It happens to be my main strategy to allow a Gallade sweep, actually.
Slowbro is probably the best physical wall of UU, hands down. Bros before hoes, man.
Possible changes: Nothing, imo.
(art by Tails19950)
Nemureru Mori no Hanayome (Celebi) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 64 Def / 96 SAtk / 96 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Nasty Plot
- Giga Drain
- Psychic
- Recover
Pretty much the best response to all Scald users of UU (seriously, I'm fucking paranoid with those random burns), which my little Espy fails to avoid. Actually the intention is being another Staraptor bait: if I got Stealth Rock up, one predicted Psychic is almost enough to finish the almighty hawk, allowing Gallade rape. Plus, it's always funny to Psychic against random Heracross switch-ins (~53% to OHKO after SR damage).
The EV spread seems a bit weird I guess, but let me explain: it allows Celebi to survive a LO Crunch from Adamant Sharpedo and a LO Icicle Crash from Jolly Mamo, OHKOing them back with Giga Drain after a NP, recovering most of his HP in the process. 96 Spd outspeeds Adamant Mamoswine, whom otherwise would kill him.
Possible changes: Considering that fancy Swords Dance + Sucker Punch set to eat Staraptor alive, but Giga Drain is just too amazing to give up...
(art by NitroDS)
Gregory and the Hawk (Staraptor) (M) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Double-Edge
- Close Combat
- U-turn
Before you say "Hey RF, you forgot to put Reckless as trait!", no, good sir, I'm using an Intimidate Raptor on a serious team. Why, you wonder? 'Cause it's better in mostly of the situations: I can't count how many times Intimidate saved my butt on lategame or against some random rarely used sweeper that I'm kinda weak to, and I'm not even joking. Reckless boost is kinda shitty and almost never made any difference at my battles, then I realized how good Intimidate could be and here we are, folks.
Well, I believe everybody knows how the hawk pecks, but yea, Brave Bird to hit like a truck, Double-Edge helps against stuff like Zapdos or Raikou, Close Combat to break Rhyperior/Empoleon/Registeel and U-turn to make smart switches while dealing damage at the same time. Finally, Choice Scarf was chosen to compensate the lack of Spd of my team (albeit I have Thunder Wave), so he can be a nice revenge killer and great against offensive teams.
Possible changes: Jolly nature over Adamant, perhaps. I recall choking to a Timid Venomoth after a Quiver Dance once and it's not even funny. ): The extra power from Adamant would be really missed, though.
(art by Tails19950)
My Iron Lung (Registeel) @ Leftovers
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 160 Def / 96 SDef
Careful Nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
- Seismic Toss
- Stealth Rock
The head shrinkers, they want everything! Registeel is my premier wall, offering good support with Stealth Rock and a second Thunder Wave. Seismic Toss is mainly for Raikou and things like Durant, I guess. Iron Head makes a
This slot originally was a SubRhyperior with Stealth Rock, but I decided to try a Registeel to have more chances against Electrics and special sweepers overall. Losing to Dugtrio is lame, though.
Possible changes: Huh, nothing.
(art by Tails19950)
Matamune (Espeon) (M) @ Leftovers
Trait: Magic Bounce
EVs: 252 HP / 240 Def / 16 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Psyshock
- Wish
- Protect
May I present to you a little gem of mine, the amazing anti-Hailmon, yeah, bulky WishEspeon. Seems a bit dumb on paper, but it works, I swear. Can switch everyday on Abomasnow, Nidoqueen, Walrein and that little bitch also known as Froslass, dishing Blizzspams with ease using Calm Mind coupled with Wish. Too bad his Wishes heals for only 167 HP, but well it's better than nothing.
The shitload of defense allows Espy to survive from things like Donphan's Earthquake, Flygon's/Staraptor's U-turn etc. Protect is always good to ease prediction against Choicemons. Being able to beat Chansey 1x1, and of course, bouncing hazards and status makes the cute Nekomata one of the most important members of the team.
Oh, yeah, this slot also was different: a Xatu with Thunder Wave and U-turn. It was better to escape against Darkmons and paralyze gullible sweepers, but I was fucking weak to Hail teams overall.
Possible changes: I'd consider Psychic or even Stored Power over Psyshock, but the first makes Chansey harder to beat without CHs/SDef drops, and Stored Power lacks immediate power, so I'm sticking with Psyshock for the moment.
---
Notable Threats: