Team Hit-N-Run [UU team]
This team revolves around my five sweepers, who slowly pick at the opponents health until they have none left. With the support of a mixed wall (Registeel), I can break through the common walls of the UU tier with relative ease. All my sweepers have the ability to hit quick and get out, which is why I named this team "Hit-N-Run." It would be great if any experienced players could read this and tell me what mistakes I have made, and where I can improve. Your help is greatly appreciated, thank you.
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Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Rash (+Special Attack -Special Defense)
Ability: Blaze
144 Attack / 252 Special Attack / 112 Speed
Eruption
Earthquake/(Hidden Power Grass)
Overheat
Focus Punch
Description: Typhlosion is the best anti-lead there is in the UU tier. Equipped with a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed any non-scarved lead bar Electrode. If the opponent makes the mistake of not attacking me on the first turn, they are blown to bits by Eruption. If they do attack, they are left with little to no HP left, which can be taken care of with another Eruption, leaving them stealthrockless. If I see an Uxie lead, I immediately switch out to Roserade, expecting either a Yawn, or a switch out to Milotic (it's amazing how often Uxie leads are paired with Milotic). Claydol, despite his amazing defenses, is 2HKO'ed by Eruption. Yanmega can be a problem with Protect+Speed Boost, so I just Overheat on the spot. If I can manage to save this guy for later at full health, he is an excellent game ender.
EV Distribution: Standard EV build for this Typhlosion. Maximize Special Attack to hurt the opponent as much as possible before you switch out, 112 Speed lets me outrun any non-scarved lead with base speed 130 and under, and the rest goes into Attack to maximize the power of Focus Punch and Earthquake on the incoming Blissey and occasional Clefable. Rash nature because obviously we want as much power as possible, and I'm not staying in to take a Surf, so the drop in special defense doesn't hurt.
Moveset: Eruption, because it just wreaks havoc on the opponent. A STABed 150BP attack is nothing to laugh off, and even after switching into Stealth Rock once (brings it down to 75% HP), it still has an impressive 112.5BP. Earthquake can take care of most things Eruption can't. Focus Punch is for the very predictable Chansey switch-ins. And when my HP is too low to use Eruption, I have Overheat to scorch the foe, and if I'm lucky enough, Blaze has kicked in, making for a real nasty scene.
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Hitmonlee @ Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Attack -Special Attack)
Ability: Limber
252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Close Combat
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Mach Punch
Description: Hitmonlee is an interesting Pokemon. It's power is overwhelming, but it's held back by its average speed. Nonetheless, it can break through walls like they're paper. Your opponent is unlucky to have this guy staring your Blissey in the face. If he stays in, he loses a vital part of the team. If he switches, he gets slammed in the face with a Close Combat, which even if resisted, can take a large chunk of HP. If switched in at the right time, he takes out 2 or 3 Pokemon. Aside from that, he can pick off weakened opponents with ease when you're at the end of the game.
EV Distribution: Standard physical sweeping build. Maximize both Attack and Speed for best results. If there is somewhere better I should put them please tell me. Adamant nature also is the best choice here, maximizing attack.
Moveset: Close Combat simply cannot be rivaled. It is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB attack. Mach Punch complements this team's theme of hitting quick and getting out. It can stop Kabutops sweeps that would otherwise kill my team. Earthquake is here, because I don't like Drapion, and neither does Hitmonlee. I'd be defenseless against poison types without it. Moltres poses a large threat to this team if my own Kabutops is out of the picture, so Stone Edge is a must, because I can't tell you how often I get walled by it.
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Ambipom @ Silk Scarf
Nature: Adamant (+Attack -Special Attack)
Ability: Technician
252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Fake Out
U-Turn
Brick Break
Payback
Description: Ambipom. The monkey-cow? It's the core of the team. He is the true "Hit-n-Runner". With Technician STAB and Silk Scarf, Fake Out becomes a force that not many can deal with. It'll frustrate your opponent as they watch you Fake Out+U-Turn out, leaving you untouched. I thought about using Life Orb over Silk Scarf, but I really prefer the extra survivability over the extra damage. When they catch on to my plan and switch in a ghost, or Registeel, I have Payback, and Brick Break to back me up if I decide to stay in.
EV Distribution: See Hitmonlee. Adamant over Jolly, because 115 speed is good enough to outspeed everything except opposing Ambipom. The speed is also not needed, because Ambipom's most powerful attack is a priority.
Moveset: Fake Out is a no brainer. It gives you a priority 90BP (after technician and STAB) attack that flinches 100% of the time. U-Turn complements Fake Out with a free switch after your Fake Out. Payback can do plenty of damage to Misdreavus trying to avoid my Fake Out. I can scout incoming Misdreavus pretty well. Brick Break offers a way to damage Registeel, who is also a common switch in to Ambipom.
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Registeel @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful (+Special Defense -Special Attack)
Ability: Clear Body
252 HP / 100 Attack / 156 Special Defense
Iron Head
Earthquake
Stealth Rock
Toxic
Description: Registeel is an absolute necessity on this team. Without it, opponents could stall me to hell. My first priority is getting up Stealth Rocks. All my sweepers can force switches, which, in case you didn't know, is very good with stealth rock support. The second thing Registeel does is absorb attacks. As you may have noticed, every member of my team lacks defense in one way of another, and has trouble switching in to anything it doesn't resist. The rest of my team also has trouble dealing with a speed boosted Yanmega, and Scarf Misdreavus. Registeel is here to take care of that, forcing switches, allowing me to badly cripple the switch in.
EV Distribution: 252HP to boost the survivability of an already amazing defensive Pokemon. According to the set provided by Smogon's strategy Pokedex, 100 Attack EV's allow me to 2HKO Misdreavus, and Espeon. The rest is dumped into Special Defense which, paired with a Careful nature, poops the parties of many special sweepers.
Moveset: Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock. Like I said before, without it, my opponent would be free to stall me out with switches. Iron Head and Earthquake pair up well, STAB gives Iron Head some decent attacking potential, and Earthquake can ruin incoming fire types. Lastly, I chose Toxic over Thunder Wave, because this team has no problem outspeeding anything, and Toxic damage adds up as I U-Turn around with Ambipom.
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Roserade @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest (+Special Attack -Attack)
Ability: Natural Cure
252 Special Attack / 164 Speed / 92 Special Defense
Sleep Powder
Leaf Storm
Sludge Bomb
Hidden Power Ice
Description: Roserade can do a number of things. Sweeping potential, status absorbing, toxic spike absorbing, putting a foe to sleep, revenge killing. The list goes on. Roserade's Leaf Storm can OHKO a long list of UU threats, and severely damage the rest. I pretty much Leaf Storm and switch out with Roserade and it works great. If a major threat has taken one of my other sweepers, I send out Roserade immediately to Sleep Powder it. Roserade is also my Altaria check; they never really expect it. Overall, Roserade is an excellent team player, does a list of things, and does them all well enough to earn the spot on my team.
EV Distribution: Modest with 252 Special Attack EVs gives Roserade the boost it needs to be called a sweeper. 164 Speed allows it to outspeed every non-scarved Pokemon in the UU and NU tiers with the exception of Electrode (who?). The rest is put into Special Defense, which offers it the chance to survive an extra attack if it decides to stay in and Sludge Bomb instead of Leaf Storm.
Moveset: Sleep Powder offers me an alternative to Registeel in stopping sweeps. Leaf Storm, as mentioned before, can tear through anything that doesn't resist it. Sludge Bomb is a STAB move that, while it doesn't hit Super-Effective on many threats, it hits alot for neutral damage, which is pretty good. Hidden Power Ice takes care of Swellow, Altaria, and other flyers who could otherwise come in with no problem.
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Kabutops @ Life Orb
Nature: Adamant (+Attack -Special Attack)
Ability: Battle Armor
252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Aqua Jet
Swords Dance
Waterfall
Stone Edge
Description: Kabutops is awesome. It's my finisher, my last resort, my answer to fire type moves. I save this guy for really late, wait until his threats are gone, so I can safely set up for demolition. I will only release him early on if I am sure there are no serious threats to him (which is pretty rare). He comes in on a 4x resist to a fire attack and Swords Dances on the switch. Perfect Arcanine counter. If for some reason they leave it in and try to take me out with Extremespeed, I get another free Swords Dance, and you can call it a day. If I'm facing something that nobody can pick off, I send in Kabutops to take them out with Aqua Jet.
EV Distribution: See Ambipom. Sorry about this, but I don't think there would be a better way to explain it.
Moveset: Swords Dance puts Kabutops at a whopping 722 attack. That's enough to end most of the faster sweepers with Aqua Jet, and slower Sweepers/Walls with Waterfall. Stone Edge is STAB and used on everything Waterfall cannot scratch. Milotic, and Toxicroak, don't stand a chance when facing a +2 Life Orb STAB Stone Edge.
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All rates are welcome.
This team revolves around my five sweepers, who slowly pick at the opponents health until they have none left. With the support of a mixed wall (Registeel), I can break through the common walls of the UU tier with relative ease. All my sweepers have the ability to hit quick and get out, which is why I named this team "Hit-N-Run." It would be great if any experienced players could read this and tell me what mistakes I have made, and where I can improve. Your help is greatly appreciated, thank you.
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Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Rash (+Special Attack -Special Defense)
Ability: Blaze
144 Attack / 252 Special Attack / 112 Speed
Eruption
Earthquake/(Hidden Power Grass)
Overheat
Focus Punch
Description: Typhlosion is the best anti-lead there is in the UU tier. Equipped with a Choice Scarf, it can outspeed any non-scarved lead bar Electrode. If the opponent makes the mistake of not attacking me on the first turn, they are blown to bits by Eruption. If they do attack, they are left with little to no HP left, which can be taken care of with another Eruption, leaving them stealthrockless. If I see an Uxie lead, I immediately switch out to Roserade, expecting either a Yawn, or a switch out to Milotic (it's amazing how often Uxie leads are paired with Milotic). Claydol, despite his amazing defenses, is 2HKO'ed by Eruption. Yanmega can be a problem with Protect+Speed Boost, so I just Overheat on the spot. If I can manage to save this guy for later at full health, he is an excellent game ender.
EV Distribution: Standard EV build for this Typhlosion. Maximize Special Attack to hurt the opponent as much as possible before you switch out, 112 Speed lets me outrun any non-scarved lead with base speed 130 and under, and the rest goes into Attack to maximize the power of Focus Punch and Earthquake on the incoming Blissey and occasional Clefable. Rash nature because obviously we want as much power as possible, and I'm not staying in to take a Surf, so the drop in special defense doesn't hurt.
Moveset: Eruption, because it just wreaks havoc on the opponent. A STABed 150BP attack is nothing to laugh off, and even after switching into Stealth Rock once (brings it down to 75% HP), it still has an impressive 112.5BP. Earthquake can take care of most things Eruption can't. Focus Punch is for the very predictable Chansey switch-ins. And when my HP is too low to use Eruption, I have Overheat to scorch the foe, and if I'm lucky enough, Blaze has kicked in, making for a real nasty scene.
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Hitmonlee @ Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Attack -Special Attack)
Ability: Limber
252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Close Combat
Earthquake
Stone Edge
Mach Punch
Description: Hitmonlee is an interesting Pokemon. It's power is overwhelming, but it's held back by its average speed. Nonetheless, it can break through walls like they're paper. Your opponent is unlucky to have this guy staring your Blissey in the face. If he stays in, he loses a vital part of the team. If he switches, he gets slammed in the face with a Close Combat, which even if resisted, can take a large chunk of HP. If switched in at the right time, he takes out 2 or 3 Pokemon. Aside from that, he can pick off weakened opponents with ease when you're at the end of the game.
EV Distribution: Standard physical sweeping build. Maximize both Attack and Speed for best results. If there is somewhere better I should put them please tell me. Adamant nature also is the best choice here, maximizing attack.
Moveset: Close Combat simply cannot be rivaled. It is Hitmonlee's strongest STAB attack. Mach Punch complements this team's theme of hitting quick and getting out. It can stop Kabutops sweeps that would otherwise kill my team. Earthquake is here, because I don't like Drapion, and neither does Hitmonlee. I'd be defenseless against poison types without it. Moltres poses a large threat to this team if my own Kabutops is out of the picture, so Stone Edge is a must, because I can't tell you how often I get walled by it.
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Ambipom @ Silk Scarf
Nature: Adamant (+Attack -Special Attack)
Ability: Technician
252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Fake Out
U-Turn
Brick Break
Payback
Description: Ambipom. The monkey-cow? It's the core of the team. He is the true "Hit-n-Runner". With Technician STAB and Silk Scarf, Fake Out becomes a force that not many can deal with. It'll frustrate your opponent as they watch you Fake Out+U-Turn out, leaving you untouched. I thought about using Life Orb over Silk Scarf, but I really prefer the extra survivability over the extra damage. When they catch on to my plan and switch in a ghost, or Registeel, I have Payback, and Brick Break to back me up if I decide to stay in.
EV Distribution: See Hitmonlee. Adamant over Jolly, because 115 speed is good enough to outspeed everything except opposing Ambipom. The speed is also not needed, because Ambipom's most powerful attack is a priority.
Moveset: Fake Out is a no brainer. It gives you a priority 90BP (after technician and STAB) attack that flinches 100% of the time. U-Turn complements Fake Out with a free switch after your Fake Out. Payback can do plenty of damage to Misdreavus trying to avoid my Fake Out. I can scout incoming Misdreavus pretty well. Brick Break offers a way to damage Registeel, who is also a common switch in to Ambipom.
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Registeel @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful (+Special Defense -Special Attack)
Ability: Clear Body
252 HP / 100 Attack / 156 Special Defense
Iron Head
Earthquake
Stealth Rock
Toxic
Description: Registeel is an absolute necessity on this team. Without it, opponents could stall me to hell. My first priority is getting up Stealth Rocks. All my sweepers can force switches, which, in case you didn't know, is very good with stealth rock support. The second thing Registeel does is absorb attacks. As you may have noticed, every member of my team lacks defense in one way of another, and has trouble switching in to anything it doesn't resist. The rest of my team also has trouble dealing with a speed boosted Yanmega, and Scarf Misdreavus. Registeel is here to take care of that, forcing switches, allowing me to badly cripple the switch in.
EV Distribution: 252HP to boost the survivability of an already amazing defensive Pokemon. According to the set provided by Smogon's strategy Pokedex, 100 Attack EV's allow me to 2HKO Misdreavus, and Espeon. The rest is dumped into Special Defense which, paired with a Careful nature, poops the parties of many special sweepers.
Moveset: Stealth Rock is Stealth Rock. Like I said before, without it, my opponent would be free to stall me out with switches. Iron Head and Earthquake pair up well, STAB gives Iron Head some decent attacking potential, and Earthquake can ruin incoming fire types. Lastly, I chose Toxic over Thunder Wave, because this team has no problem outspeeding anything, and Toxic damage adds up as I U-Turn around with Ambipom.
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Roserade @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Modest (+Special Attack -Attack)
Ability: Natural Cure
252 Special Attack / 164 Speed / 92 Special Defense
Sleep Powder
Leaf Storm
Sludge Bomb
Hidden Power Ice
Description: Roserade can do a number of things. Sweeping potential, status absorbing, toxic spike absorbing, putting a foe to sleep, revenge killing. The list goes on. Roserade's Leaf Storm can OHKO a long list of UU threats, and severely damage the rest. I pretty much Leaf Storm and switch out with Roserade and it works great. If a major threat has taken one of my other sweepers, I send out Roserade immediately to Sleep Powder it. Roserade is also my Altaria check; they never really expect it. Overall, Roserade is an excellent team player, does a list of things, and does them all well enough to earn the spot on my team.
EV Distribution: Modest with 252 Special Attack EVs gives Roserade the boost it needs to be called a sweeper. 164 Speed allows it to outspeed every non-scarved Pokemon in the UU and NU tiers with the exception of Electrode (who?). The rest is put into Special Defense, which offers it the chance to survive an extra attack if it decides to stay in and Sludge Bomb instead of Leaf Storm.
Moveset: Sleep Powder offers me an alternative to Registeel in stopping sweeps. Leaf Storm, as mentioned before, can tear through anything that doesn't resist it. Sludge Bomb is a STAB move that, while it doesn't hit Super-Effective on many threats, it hits alot for neutral damage, which is pretty good. Hidden Power Ice takes care of Swellow, Altaria, and other flyers who could otherwise come in with no problem.
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Kabutops @ Life Orb
Nature: Adamant (+Attack -Special Attack)
Ability: Battle Armor
252 Attack / 252 Speed / 4 HP
Aqua Jet
Swords Dance
Waterfall
Stone Edge
Description: Kabutops is awesome. It's my finisher, my last resort, my answer to fire type moves. I save this guy for really late, wait until his threats are gone, so I can safely set up for demolition. I will only release him early on if I am sure there are no serious threats to him (which is pretty rare). He comes in on a 4x resist to a fire attack and Swords Dances on the switch. Perfect Arcanine counter. If for some reason they leave it in and try to take me out with Extremespeed, I get another free Swords Dance, and you can call it a day. If I'm facing something that nobody can pick off, I send in Kabutops to take them out with Aqua Jet.
EV Distribution: See Ambipom. Sorry about this, but I don't think there would be a better way to explain it.
Moveset: Swords Dance puts Kabutops at a whopping 722 attack. That's enough to end most of the faster sweepers with Aqua Jet, and slower Sweepers/Walls with Waterfall. Stone Edge is STAB and used on everything Waterfall cannot scratch. Milotic, and Toxicroak, don't stand a chance when facing a +2 Life Orb STAB Stone Edge.
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All rates are welcome.
