SS OU SS TEAM #1

[Gross Sweep]

Introduction

Hello people of Smogon reading this. My name is Gross Sweep, and for those who do not know I lead the RMT Forum here on Smogon. Recently I have been taking stock of all the upcoming talent we have here in the forum, and I have been very impressed by a handful of unbadged raters. With this in mind I want to help cultivate those raters along with any new faces in a more direct manner. I am starting a little personal series where I post an OU RMT once a month, and provide feedback to those who rate my team. This will range from content to format to explanations. I truly believe a team rater needs to gain mastery of all three of these skills to be eligible to earn the fist. With this in mind I am going to be posting a new team every month, and give continuous feedback to anyone who drops a rate in this thread. I will also be mentioning some areas for improvement, and I will be checking on those areas if you rate next month and referencing that in future feedback. I feel this will be effective since having someone look over a single rate can only get you so far. The purpose of this project is to create an open line of communication between myself and people who have the desire to become team raters, allowing us to work together for continuous improvement. It is also important to note that I am going to be honest in the critiques, so I wont be shy if I feel you are weak in a given area (I will try to sprinkle in compliments too though). Also I plan to provide feedback in this thread, meaning everyone will be able to see my critique. I think this is for the best as it allows progress to be tracked more easily, and will hopefully serve as a great resource for new raters to see how to correct mistakes if they are having trouble. The RMTs themselves will consist of a team building process, a 5-8 sentence paragraph over each mon, and an importable. The teams will vary in difficulty from month to month in terms of how solid the team is, and I will also mix up the teams in terms of style to try and get you all out of your comfort zones. The first team is something I quickly threw together last night utilizing a couple new mons, and some old mons that have not been OU the past gens but are seeing an uptick in usage. It is a pretty basic team that will give me a good baseline of skill and show me if you have actually been playing this new meta. Best of luck to all who choose to rate the team.

Team Building Process

I actually started building this team around Trick Room Hatterne, I thought it was a fun and strong mon that abused the new Dynamax mechanic extremely well. Also it was Ditto proof as a Trick Room abuser, which caught my eye.

Next I added Seismitoad and Corviknight to the team. I wanted Stealth Rock and Defog taken care of early on. I also felt like these two had really good defensive synergy.

Next I added Ditto to the squad. In this generation I am pretty concerned with weather (mainly sand and rain). With this in mind the combination of Corviknight and Ditto gives me confidence versus sand, and Seismitoad and Ditto make me more comfortable vs rain. Especially with Seismitoad having Water Absorb to help against Dracovish who everyone is spamming right now.

This is where the team really started to change. Looking at it I wanted some speed outside of Ditto and felt Cinderace would fit. It also gave me access to Court Change which really helped shape the team into what it is currently.

At this point I was looking at the last slot thinking I wanted a bit more bulk on the team, another ground immunity since I don't like only having one mon off the ground. I was playing around with a few options, but I kept coming back to Hydreigon as I liked what it brought to the team.

Something just was not sitting right with the team at this point. I wanted a bit more bulk, but did not want to just add some fat mon at the expense of my offensive potential. A compromise I came up with was 3 attacks Life Orb Clefable. Clefable hits hard, and has some defensive utility. With this change I was also inclined to change my Corviknight set to Sub Bulk Up instead of the standard Defog set. I feel I can still get plenty out of Corviknight defensively, with the added bonus of another wincon. Also with a couple air born mons, a Magic Guard Clef, and the option to Court Change with Heavy-Duty Boots Cinderace I was alright with dropping Defog.


Set Analysis

Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 196 HP / 252 SpA / 60 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Moonlight

3 attacks Clefable is kind of weird to me, since I'm still use to the 7th generation where Life Orb Clefable was more of a rarity, and not the first set listed in its upcoming Smogon Analysis. Moonblast is strong stab that pressures most things that do not resist since Stab on top of the Life Orb Boost is not a joke even coming from Clefable. Flamethrower allows Clefable to Pressure steel types like Ferrothorn and Aegislash that would otherwise switch in all day on Clefable. Thunderbolt hits Toxapex which is big, especially for this team. Not much on the team is really troubled by Toxic Spikes, and Court Change also gives a solid way to remove them but pressuring Toxapex to keep them off the field is nice for Seismitoad. I chose Moonlight in the last slot because I wanted some recovery. Earlier in this RMT I mentioned wanting something bulkier than Hatterne, and without at least having Moonlight Clefable does not really accomplish that goal. You can try a more bulky Clefable with a Wish / Tect set, but for the time being I like the idea of keeping up the pressure.

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Toxic

Seismitoad is a mon that has been the new thing that past couple of days in this meta. Or more Dracovish has taken over with a colt like following, and Seismitoad's water immunity is amazing for counteracting that. At this point a more defensive team really has a Seismitoad or it loses to Dracovish, and I do not want to lose to Dracovish. I decided on dual stab since it his most stuff in the meta outside of Ferrothorn decently well. I have seen some people running Earthquake over Earth Power to hit Tyranitar harder, but I really do not like the idea. Earthquake sets usually have to run a negative speed nature, and I do not like the idea of suddenly worrying about mons like Clefable or Aegislash that are invested in any speed. I enjoy the natural cushion that means I do not have to worry about all the base 60 mons running around right now. Seismitoad is also one of the few survivors when it comes to those still with access to Toxic, which is extremely nice for crippling the opposition. Having the ability to just throw off a Toxic eases prediction and makes my life easier vs fatter teams. Also I will note that I really like Seismitoad's ability to shut down the 2 prominent Rotom variants running around right now. I think their Nasty Plot sets are really scary right now, so I like having a solid check vs those (Scarf Trick is still scary though).

[No Sprite Yet]

Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Def / 136 SpD / 92 Spe
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Roost

I really like this Corviknight as it is a solid win condition with counter-play against Ditto, that also provides defensive utility. The bulk on the defensive side allows Corviknight to keep Excadrill in check, and the Special bulk allows Corviknight to eat a pair of Specs Shadow Balls from Modest Dragapult. The speed also allows Corviknight to outspeed Dragapult at +2 which it can gain from Dynamax boosted Brave Bird. This Corviknight is by no means the automatic Dynamax abuser for this team, but when called upon it fulfills the role especially well. Substitute is extremely nice on this set as it blocks Ditto's Imposter and keeps Corviknight safe from status, since an errant Will-O-Wisp on a potential sweeper like Corviknight can be match ending. A usage tip for this mon I can give is use team preview to your advantage. Try and figure out how you want to win early on, since while Corviknight can be used as a bulky pivot and a set up sweeper in the same game it's important to not over stress the mons role on the team. It is unrealistic to expect to constantly switch Corviknight in defensively and still be able to use it to set up and win at the end of the game on a consistent basis. Corviknight is a star, but treat it like Kawhi Leonard and think about load management.

Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Transform

Ditto was on the rise at the end of Gen 7, but its usage is nothing compared to now. In a new gen with tons of new threats, and Dynamax abusers running wild having an emergency safety valve versus these monsters is essential. This team tries to do a good job of Ditto proofing itself, but I cannot say the same for the rest of the meta. You will find plenty of teams around that still lose to this plink blob at preview. That said even if someone has prepped for Ditto it does truly force the way your opponent plays the game to change since freely setting up just is not a thing. Ditto is a great revenge killer this generation. Stealing boosts and then tacking on the Scarf boost makes Ditto almost unrivaled at fulfilling this role. I also want to point out how great of a Dynamax abuser Ditto is as it can transform into some set up mon on a rampage, revenge kill it thanks to scarf, and then Dynamax unlocking itself where it then proceeds to nuke things for 3 turns utilizing the boosts the oppositions mon had. Also just a mechanical thing to remember, but you cannot copy an opposing Ditto with your own. Do not accidentally throw this thing away.

[No Sprite Yet]

Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Court Change

I have to start this section by saying I'm a Rillaboom guy, but until its Hidden Ability is released Cinderace is unquestionably the best starter this generation. That said Cinderace has access to the new move Court Change which gives it an interesting niche as it can flip hazards on the field. This is helpful in a meta where there are only a handful of solid removers. Aside from Court Change Cinderace also has a stellar speed stat of 130 going for it making it one of the fastest non-scarfers in the metagame. I also love fire types in the meta right now, I wrote a post on Rotom-Heat when this meta first came out since most teams just do not handle them well. Meaning Stab Pyro Ball is really strong right now, and tears through a lot of teams. U-Turn provides me with momentum. Would have loved to come up with a VoltTurn core to pair Cinderace with, just did not seem to be in the cards as I was building. Also High Jump Kick is solid coverage. Cinderace does not have a ton of coverage options, but Taunt can probably be experimented with instead of HJK if you feel it is not worth running.

Hydreigon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute

The King of UU has finally returned! After a couple gens of being the best dragon in UU, Dexit has finally brought the power level back to a realm where Hydreigon can compete consistently. Dark Pulse is strong stab, and Flash Cannon is for Fairy-type mons like Clefable and Togekiss that would just laugh at Hydreigon without it. Substitute is there to Ditto proof and prevent status from crippling Hydreigon. Nasty Plot is a new toy Hydreigon got this generation that allows it to serve as true breaker this generation. Not having to rely on specs to pressure neutral hit walls like Ferrothorn and Toxapex with Dark Pulse. Hydreigon also has a pretty solid speed tier this generation maxing out at 324. Do not have much else to say on Hydreigon, it is pretty simple and self explanatory when it comes to using it. People love this thing on the ladder right now, so if you have played any SS OU you definitely faced a handful of these things.
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Import

Clefable @ Life Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 196 HP / 252 SpA / 60 Spe
Modest Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Moonblast
- Flamethrower
- Thunderbolt
- Moonlight

Seismitoad @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpD
Bold Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Stealth Rock
- Scald
- Earth Power
- Toxic

Corviknight @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 32 Def / 136 SpD / 92 Spe
Careful Nature
- Brave Bird
- Bulk Up
- Substitute
- Roost

Ditto @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 248 HP / 8 Atk / 252 Def
Relaxed Nature
IVs: 0 Spe
- Transform

Cinderace @ Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Pyro Ball
- High Jump Kick
- U-turn
- Court Change

Hydreigon @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Dark Pulse
- Flash Cannon
- Nasty Plot
- Substitute

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