Today is my very first day on Pokémon Showdown. Some say you should play it safe on your first time. I say, why not do something stupid instead? And what could be stupider than building a team around Luvdisc as its wincon? Nobody respects this little fish, but I believe that with enough heart, Luvdisc has the power to win games.
Let us therefore introduce ourselves to the champion of this illustrious squad:
Luvdisc @ Choice Specs
Tera: Water
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Flip Turn
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Our humble hero's meager pool of base stats demands we squeeze every ounce of special attack potential it can muster to fuel its Hydro Pump. We will of course be terastalizing Luvdisc to Water for that extra STAB multiplier. I chose Ice Beam over Blizzard for accuracy, as Luvdisc can't count on having a second chance if it misses its first shot. Flip Turn is there to escape from an unfavorable matchup. I was tempted to use Life Orb instead and throw Attract into the fourth slot, but Luvdisc depends on scoring OHKOs, so the extra power from the specs was too much to pass up on. Aqua Jet is there for some niche case where my champion fighter is up against a near-death opponent that might outspeed it. And what about speed, you say? Forget speed. We can find that somewhere else. I've boosted Luvdisc's HP instead to help it survive one weak move from the enemy.
Obviously, I'm counting on Rain Dance to get that crucial speed boost and another 50% damage multiplier for Hydro Pump. Duh, use Politoed, some might say, since we're in UU, where Pelipper is not allowed. Bah, no way. Meet our first member of the supporting cast:
Murkrow @ Damp Rock
Tera: Dark
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Rain Dance
- Tailwind
- U-Turn
Murkrow? ****ing Murkrow, you say? Murkrow with a bulk build?! I rejected the 'Toed because I wanted two things: Rain Dance and Tailwind. Murkrow's Prankster guarantees that it will be able to bring in the vital rain before being blasted off the field. I went all in on bulk in the hopes of allowing it to survive one hit from an enemy that doesn't have a super-effective attack. If it does, it can follow up with Tailwind, which will stack with Swift Swim to allow Luvdisc to outpace almost anything my opponents may throw at it. Or it can make a graceful exit with U-Turn to bring in a teammate and live to renew rain later in a prolonged match. Foul Play is there to punish anyone who sees an NFE and thinks they have a safe turn to set up a Swords Dance.
Ah, but what about priority moves? I can make Luvdisc fast enough to break the sound barrier, but I still can't outrun a Sucker Punch, can I? Luvdisc is toast as soon as it runs into someone with Extreme Speed or a Technician-boosted Bullet Punch. Unless I can stop them from using those. For that, I'm gonna need Psychic Terrain. Our next teammate will be Indee...
Mew @ Leftovers
Tera: Psychic
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 96 SpA / 160 SpD
Timid Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Expanding Force
- Psychic Terrain
- Volt Switch
Or, not Indeedee... why not Indeedee? Why Mew with a weird build? Psychic Surge is nice, but I need more of a fighter who can brawl a bit if my plan goes off the rails. Mew makes a good lead to start the match with because no one can be sure what kind of moves it's going to pull. I've given it enough speed to stay ahead of most mid-range speed threats (hopefully). After setting Psychic Terrain, it can either stay and fight with Expanding Force, or Volt Switch to the next element of the setup chain. Dazzling Gleam offers a little coverage against Dark types or those nasty dragons everyone like to use.
When building a team around a weird gimmick, the safe approach is probably to fill out the rest of the lineup with steady, tried and true meta staples. But instead, I thought, why have just one silly gimmick when I could have two?
Drifblim @ Weakness Policy
Tera: Ghost
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 200 SpA / 148 Def / 96 SpD / 64 Spe
Modest Nature
- Air Slash
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder
Welcome, Drifblim! Come on out of ZU tier! Now what is Drifblim doing on this team? Well you see, I know everyone's favorite coverage move on their utility mons is Knock Off. And I know my Mew chewing on its Leftovers is going to make a very tempting target for Knock Off. Therefore, after surviving its first one, Mew will switch out for Drifblim, which will eat the super-effective move and suddenly double in both power and speed, thanks to the combination of Weakness Policy and Unburden. Drifblim then has STAB Air Slash and Shadow Ball, as well as Thunder (which will be 100% accurate if Drifblim comes out in the rain) in case I run into an enemy team that's also depending on Water types. Drifblim then sweeps until it runs into something it won't be able to kill, when it will use Destiny Bond to take them down with it.
Two slots to go. Luvdisc is going to need all the help it can get scoring OHKOs, so we probably need hazards to ensure the enemy gets chunked for some damage before they face the wrath of the fish. I don't have time to sit around stacking up spikes or waiting for poison to do something since my terrain and weather are both on a timer, so Stealth Rock is the clear choice.
Swampert @ Rindo Berry
Tera: Grass
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Atk / 232 SpD
Careful Nature
- Avalanche
- Earthquake
- Flip Turn
- Stealth Rock
Swampert is my rock setter and doubles as my counter against Electric types who will ruin the day of all my Water and Flying types. I've intentionally built Swampert to be slow so that it can safely Flip Turn Luvdisc into play after absorbing the enemy's attack. Special Defense is stacked since Grass Knot is the most common coverage move it will have to worry about, and I've given it a Rindo Berry to tank one hit from a Grass type move. If the opponent switched in a Grass type to fight it, they'll be slammed with a brutal Avalanche after Swampert survives its first attack.
Finally, we'll need our own hazard removal to make sure nobody ruins my Luvdisc play with a Sticky Web or all my pivot moves with Stealth Rocks.
Blastoise @ Assault Vest
Tera: Water
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Avalanche
- Rapid Spin
- Wave Crash
Besides Rapid Spin, I needed a bulky physical attacker to round out my team, which otherwise relies heavily on special attack. HP is maxed to help Blastoise be a bit more sustainable while using its recoil-inflicting Wave Crash, with Aqua Jet to give my slow Blastoise a first strike capability for dealing with weakened enemies, and Avalanche as anti-Grass and Dragon coverage. Fighting in the rain will boost its main attacks and allow it to heal a bit of damage, useful for offsetting Wave Crash's recoil.
And there you have it: Team Killer Luvdisc, ready to rock in UU.
But like, this is a joke, right? It's a funny troll with some theory going on under the hood, but there's no way a team of actual UU mons is going to lose a match to Drifblim, Murkrow, and Luvdisc.
Watch it happen:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9uu-2546460551
My first game with this team was my first time playing on Showdown. The 3D models were making it lag on me, so I got timed out. I lost my second game to a Dragon monotype team because I was still figuring out how to pilot it and got the timings wrong on my switch ins. This was game three, and a decisive victory for Team Luvdisc, with the heart-shaped fish scoring OHKOs at the end on both 94% HP Terrakion and 88% HP Haxorus.
Luvdisc may have pitiful base stats, but when you stack the multipliers for STAB, Choice Specs, Tera Water, and Rain, that Hydro Pump can hit surprisingly hard.
Let us therefore introduce ourselves to the champion of this illustrious squad:
Luvdisc @ Choice Specs
Tera: Water
Ability: Swift Swim
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpA / 4 Spe
Modest Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Flip Turn
- Hydro Pump
- Ice Beam
Our humble hero's meager pool of base stats demands we squeeze every ounce of special attack potential it can muster to fuel its Hydro Pump. We will of course be terastalizing Luvdisc to Water for that extra STAB multiplier. I chose Ice Beam over Blizzard for accuracy, as Luvdisc can't count on having a second chance if it misses its first shot. Flip Turn is there to escape from an unfavorable matchup. I was tempted to use Life Orb instead and throw Attract into the fourth slot, but Luvdisc depends on scoring OHKOs, so the extra power from the specs was too much to pass up on. Aqua Jet is there for some niche case where my champion fighter is up against a near-death opponent that might outspeed it. And what about speed, you say? Forget speed. We can find that somewhere else. I've boosted Luvdisc's HP instead to help it survive one weak move from the enemy.
Obviously, I'm counting on Rain Dance to get that crucial speed boost and another 50% damage multiplier for Hydro Pump. Duh, use Politoed, some might say, since we're in UU, where Pelipper is not allowed. Bah, no way. Meet our first member of the supporting cast:
Murkrow @ Damp Rock
Tera: Dark
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 108 Def / 148 SpD
Impish Nature
- Foul Play
- Rain Dance
- Tailwind
- U-Turn
Murkrow? ****ing Murkrow, you say? Murkrow with a bulk build?! I rejected the 'Toed because I wanted two things: Rain Dance and Tailwind. Murkrow's Prankster guarantees that it will be able to bring in the vital rain before being blasted off the field. I went all in on bulk in the hopes of allowing it to survive one hit from an enemy that doesn't have a super-effective attack. If it does, it can follow up with Tailwind, which will stack with Swift Swim to allow Luvdisc to outpace almost anything my opponents may throw at it. Or it can make a graceful exit with U-Turn to bring in a teammate and live to renew rain later in a prolonged match. Foul Play is there to punish anyone who sees an NFE and thinks they have a safe turn to set up a Swords Dance.
Ah, but what about priority moves? I can make Luvdisc fast enough to break the sound barrier, but I still can't outrun a Sucker Punch, can I? Luvdisc is toast as soon as it runs into someone with Extreme Speed or a Technician-boosted Bullet Punch. Unless I can stop them from using those. For that, I'm gonna need Psychic Terrain. Our next teammate will be Indee...
Mew @ Leftovers
Tera: Psychic
Ability: Synchronize
EVs: 252 HP / 96 SpA / 160 SpD
Timid Nature
- Dazzling Gleam
- Expanding Force
- Psychic Terrain
- Volt Switch
Or, not Indeedee... why not Indeedee? Why Mew with a weird build? Psychic Surge is nice, but I need more of a fighter who can brawl a bit if my plan goes off the rails. Mew makes a good lead to start the match with because no one can be sure what kind of moves it's going to pull. I've given it enough speed to stay ahead of most mid-range speed threats (hopefully). After setting Psychic Terrain, it can either stay and fight with Expanding Force, or Volt Switch to the next element of the setup chain. Dazzling Gleam offers a little coverage against Dark types or those nasty dragons everyone like to use.
When building a team around a weird gimmick, the safe approach is probably to fill out the rest of the lineup with steady, tried and true meta staples. But instead, I thought, why have just one silly gimmick when I could have two?
Drifblim @ Weakness Policy
Tera: Ghost
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 200 SpA / 148 Def / 96 SpD / 64 Spe
Modest Nature
- Air Slash
- Destiny Bond
- Shadow Ball
- Thunder
Welcome, Drifblim! Come on out of ZU tier! Now what is Drifblim doing on this team? Well you see, I know everyone's favorite coverage move on their utility mons is Knock Off. And I know my Mew chewing on its Leftovers is going to make a very tempting target for Knock Off. Therefore, after surviving its first one, Mew will switch out for Drifblim, which will eat the super-effective move and suddenly double in both power and speed, thanks to the combination of Weakness Policy and Unburden. Drifblim then has STAB Air Slash and Shadow Ball, as well as Thunder (which will be 100% accurate if Drifblim comes out in the rain) in case I run into an enemy team that's also depending on Water types. Drifblim then sweeps until it runs into something it won't be able to kill, when it will use Destiny Bond to take them down with it.
Two slots to go. Luvdisc is going to need all the help it can get scoring OHKOs, so we probably need hazards to ensure the enemy gets chunked for some damage before they face the wrath of the fish. I don't have time to sit around stacking up spikes or waiting for poison to do something since my terrain and weather are both on a timer, so Stealth Rock is the clear choice.
Swampert @ Rindo Berry
Tera: Grass
Ability: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 24 Atk / 232 SpD
Careful Nature
- Avalanche
- Earthquake
- Flip Turn
- Stealth Rock
Swampert is my rock setter and doubles as my counter against Electric types who will ruin the day of all my Water and Flying types. I've intentionally built Swampert to be slow so that it can safely Flip Turn Luvdisc into play after absorbing the enemy's attack. Special Defense is stacked since Grass Knot is the most common coverage move it will have to worry about, and I've given it a Rindo Berry to tank one hit from a Grass type move. If the opponent switched in a Grass type to fight it, they'll be slammed with a brutal Avalanche after Swampert survives its first attack.
Finally, we'll need our own hazard removal to make sure nobody ruins my Luvdisc play with a Sticky Web or all my pivot moves with Stealth Rocks.
Blastoise @ Assault Vest
Tera: Water
Ability: Rain Dish
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature
- Aqua Jet
- Avalanche
- Rapid Spin
- Wave Crash
Besides Rapid Spin, I needed a bulky physical attacker to round out my team, which otherwise relies heavily on special attack. HP is maxed to help Blastoise be a bit more sustainable while using its recoil-inflicting Wave Crash, with Aqua Jet to give my slow Blastoise a first strike capability for dealing with weakened enemies, and Avalanche as anti-Grass and Dragon coverage. Fighting in the rain will boost its main attacks and allow it to heal a bit of damage, useful for offsetting Wave Crash's recoil.
And there you have it: Team Killer Luvdisc, ready to rock in UU.
But like, this is a joke, right? It's a funny troll with some theory going on under the hood, but there's no way a team of actual UU mons is going to lose a match to Drifblim, Murkrow, and Luvdisc.
Watch it happen:
https://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/gen9uu-2546460551
My first game with this team was my first time playing on Showdown. The 3D models were making it lag on me, so I got timed out. I lost my second game to a Dragon monotype team because I was still figuring out how to pilot it and got the timings wrong on my switch ins. This was game three, and a decisive victory for Team Luvdisc, with the heart-shaped fish scoring OHKOs at the end on both 94% HP Terrakion and 88% HP Haxorus.
Luvdisc may have pitiful base stats, but when you stack the multipliers for STAB, Choice Specs, Tera Water, and Rain, that Hydro Pump can hit surprisingly hard.
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