This is my first UU team (with some actual effort). For the past few months, I’ve been and OU battler and I decided it was about time I stopped seeing the exact same damn teams and strategies. This team was created as an offensive team, built to use cunning switches and prediction to take wins. The team is comprised of 5 Underused Pokemon: Uxie, Houndoom, Mismagius, Honchkrow and Azumarill, along with 1 pokemon from the Neverused tier: Rampardos. The main function of this team is - as the title may suggest - testing my opponent's reflexes. What I mean by this is that once Mismagius comes out, she can hide behind subs and screens as her counters come out and get shut down as she calm minds then slaps them in the face with perfect coverage. Essentially, the sooner they start switching maniacally, the easier it should be for my opponents (which really doesn't happen to often, come think of it...)
To begin with, this team leads with a dual-screen Uxie:
Uxie
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Impish
Item: Light Clay
EV Spread: 252HP.180DEF.76SPE
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Memento
-Stealth Rock
Uxie’s role on my team is used as a suicide/support lead. Depending on my opponent’s lead, I’ll use either stealth rock, reflect or light screen. Usually I set up the rocks, then use reflect or light screen depending on what type of attacker my opponent has out at the moment, and then set up the other screen the next turn. And then, as its dying wish, Uxie uses memento to lower the enemy’s attack and special attack to -2. I also then get a free switch-in, usually to Mismagius.
Mismagius
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
Item: Leftovers
EV Spread: 48HP.208SPA.252SPE
-Substitute
-Calm Mind
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power [Fighting]
Coming in for free after Uxie lowers my opponent’s attacks 2 stages and increases my defences twofold is a nice prospect, no? I set up a sub and take .25x normal damage from every attack, so any attack that fails to 1HKO me under normal circumstances fails to break my substitute, then I pick up a calm mind. After 2 calm minds, my subs begin surviving two <1HKO special attacks at the minimum. With Ghost/Fighting giving me perfect coverage and having a very strong 339 speed, sweeps come extremely easily. Mismagius easily gets more than 3 calm minds up in most battles, it usually depends on when my opponent gets wise and switches to a bulky physical attacker. Mismagius and Uxie make the core of this team, easily winning matches as a duo. However, sometimes opponents can outplay me using sucker punch and sometimes it can spell the end for Mismagius. For this reason, I use strong auxiliary pokemon as well.
Rampardos
Ability: Mold Breaker
Nature: Jolly
Item: Choice Scarf
EV Spread: 4HP.252ATK.252SPE
-Head Smash
-Earthquake
-Thunder Punch
-Superpower
I really have to say that using scarf Rampardos is a little tricky, but has huge payouts. With a monster 429 attack stat and effective 354 speed stat, the only unscarfed pokemon that outrun it are max+ ambipom, dugtrio, sceptile, swellow and electrode. While being the glass cannon that it is, who doesn’t like taking absolutely massive chunks of HP out of switch-ins or revenge killing any unscarfed pokemon but the aforementioned. Also, with mold breaker, it’s safe to earthquake anything that levitates. Rampardos also rips through just about anything that doesn’t resist its 150 BP STAB Head Smash.
Houndoom
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Timid
Item: Life Orb
EV Spread: 40HP.252SPA.216SPE
-Nasty Plot
-Flamethrower
-Dark Pulse
-Hidden Power [Fighting]
This Houndoom is pretty simple, and easy to use: come in on a fire attack or something that doesn’t really like Houndoom or is choiced into something Houndoom doesn’t care a whole lot about, use a Nasty Plot and begin ripping through opposing pokemon. Flamethrower and Dark Pulse offer strong STAB, and HP Fighting helps take care of Rock- and Normal-type pokemon. One Nasty Plot boosts Houndoom’s already respectable 318 SPA stat to an effective 636, and after life orb, 826 - simply deadly. Houndoom doesn’t like stealth rock much, so I have to be very selective about when I let him loose. Houndoom also offers an immunity - along with Honchkrow - to psychic-type attacks.
Honchkrow
Ability: Insomnia
Nature: Adamant
Item: Life Orb
EV Spread: 4HP.252ATK.252SPE
-Sucker Punch
-Drill Peck
-Superpower
-Pursuit
Honchkrow offers my team a nice immunity to sleep, psychic, and ground attacks, at the cost of taking 25% damage from stealth rock. Oh well. Honchkrow makes a nice, strong trapper by having access to sucker punch and pursuit. Drill peck gives me a way to smash through grass-, bug- and fighting- types, and Superpower gets a big hit on ice- and rock-type switch-ins, along with steels, darks and normals. Honchkrow is the 3rd ground immunity on this team, which helps make up for the dual-weakness. Life orb is used here again for the raw power it gives. An extra 30% damage is an extra 30% damage, no matter how you look at it.
Azumarill
Ability: Huge Power
Nature: Adamant
Item: Choice Band
EV Spread: 240HP.252ATK.16SPE
-Waterfall
-Superpower
-Aqua Jet
-Double Edge
Ahh…choice band Azumarill. Azumarill also offers a strong priority move in aqua jet and has pretty nice coverage with really nice damage output. While it’s rather slow, Azumarill has a nice defence core and good bulkiness. Azumarill is mainly filler, so I’m pretty open to changing it. I was really just looking for something that didn’t leave me with a stinging ground or rock weakness, so any help with more useful suggestions for replacements are greatly appreciated.
This next bit should help explain my reasoning for using these pokemon on the team, briefly.
For the building of this team, I began using a dual-screen support Uxie lead due to the lack of frequently used taunting leads in UU.
Next, I needed a pokemon that was fast, hit hard enough to 1-2HKO most everything with under 5-turn complete setup (to take advantage of screens and sub longevity). Mismagius happened to fit the bill, and with HP Fighting has perfect type coverage.
Next up, I wanted a pokemon that also has relatively quick/easy setup. I found that Houndoom fit this description pretty nicely, with HP Fighting and STAB Fire/Dark attacks. Throw a Nasty Plot in the mix and we’ve got ourselves a bloodbath.
Next, I notice a lack of scarf-ness on my team, and decide I was a physical attacker who hits like a truck. My initial thought was Rampardos and I’ve stuck with it. Anything that’s not fighting-, ground- or steel-type will hate coming in on a 225 BP move coming from 429 attack.
Now I’m noticing a double ground weakness and a lack of priority so why not pop yet another ground-immune pokemon on there? I picked honchkrow for its trapping ability and good attack stat, as well as a good bit of HP.
Ahh…now I just need some filler. I figure that priority wouldn’t hurt, nor would some added bulkiness. Now, for prioriy, I’ve got Scyther and Azumarill, basically. But Scyther takes a whopping 50% from stealth rock which would make 3 rock-weak pokemon on my team, but at the same time adding another ground resistance. Azu’s bulkiness is good though - not weak to ground nor rock, it fits in quite nicely.
I'm open to any and all suggestions, so please, offer your opinions.
To begin with, this team leads with a dual-screen Uxie:
Uxie
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Impish
Item: Light Clay
EV Spread: 252HP.180DEF.76SPE
-Reflect
-Light Screen
-Memento
-Stealth Rock
Uxie’s role on my team is used as a suicide/support lead. Depending on my opponent’s lead, I’ll use either stealth rock, reflect or light screen. Usually I set up the rocks, then use reflect or light screen depending on what type of attacker my opponent has out at the moment, and then set up the other screen the next turn. And then, as its dying wish, Uxie uses memento to lower the enemy’s attack and special attack to -2. I also then get a free switch-in, usually to Mismagius.
Mismagius
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Timid
Item: Leftovers
EV Spread: 48HP.208SPA.252SPE
-Substitute
-Calm Mind
-Shadow Ball
-Hidden Power [Fighting]
Coming in for free after Uxie lowers my opponent’s attacks 2 stages and increases my defences twofold is a nice prospect, no? I set up a sub and take .25x normal damage from every attack, so any attack that fails to 1HKO me under normal circumstances fails to break my substitute, then I pick up a calm mind. After 2 calm minds, my subs begin surviving two <1HKO special attacks at the minimum. With Ghost/Fighting giving me perfect coverage and having a very strong 339 speed, sweeps come extremely easily. Mismagius easily gets more than 3 calm minds up in most battles, it usually depends on when my opponent gets wise and switches to a bulky physical attacker. Mismagius and Uxie make the core of this team, easily winning matches as a duo. However, sometimes opponents can outplay me using sucker punch and sometimes it can spell the end for Mismagius. For this reason, I use strong auxiliary pokemon as well.
Rampardos
Ability: Mold Breaker
Nature: Jolly
Item: Choice Scarf
EV Spread: 4HP.252ATK.252SPE
-Head Smash
-Earthquake
-Thunder Punch
-Superpower
I really have to say that using scarf Rampardos is a little tricky, but has huge payouts. With a monster 429 attack stat and effective 354 speed stat, the only unscarfed pokemon that outrun it are max+ ambipom, dugtrio, sceptile, swellow and electrode. While being the glass cannon that it is, who doesn’t like taking absolutely massive chunks of HP out of switch-ins or revenge killing any unscarfed pokemon but the aforementioned. Also, with mold breaker, it’s safe to earthquake anything that levitates. Rampardos also rips through just about anything that doesn’t resist its 150 BP STAB Head Smash.
Houndoom
Ability: Flash Fire
Nature: Timid
Item: Life Orb
EV Spread: 40HP.252SPA.216SPE
-Nasty Plot
-Flamethrower
-Dark Pulse
-Hidden Power [Fighting]
This Houndoom is pretty simple, and easy to use: come in on a fire attack or something that doesn’t really like Houndoom or is choiced into something Houndoom doesn’t care a whole lot about, use a Nasty Plot and begin ripping through opposing pokemon. Flamethrower and Dark Pulse offer strong STAB, and HP Fighting helps take care of Rock- and Normal-type pokemon. One Nasty Plot boosts Houndoom’s already respectable 318 SPA stat to an effective 636, and after life orb, 826 - simply deadly. Houndoom doesn’t like stealth rock much, so I have to be very selective about when I let him loose. Houndoom also offers an immunity - along with Honchkrow - to psychic-type attacks.
Honchkrow
Ability: Insomnia
Nature: Adamant
Item: Life Orb
EV Spread: 4HP.252ATK.252SPE
-Sucker Punch
-Drill Peck
-Superpower
-Pursuit
Honchkrow offers my team a nice immunity to sleep, psychic, and ground attacks, at the cost of taking 25% damage from stealth rock. Oh well. Honchkrow makes a nice, strong trapper by having access to sucker punch and pursuit. Drill peck gives me a way to smash through grass-, bug- and fighting- types, and Superpower gets a big hit on ice- and rock-type switch-ins, along with steels, darks and normals. Honchkrow is the 3rd ground immunity on this team, which helps make up for the dual-weakness. Life orb is used here again for the raw power it gives. An extra 30% damage is an extra 30% damage, no matter how you look at it.
Azumarill
Ability: Huge Power
Nature: Adamant
Item: Choice Band
EV Spread: 240HP.252ATK.16SPE
-Waterfall
-Superpower
-Aqua Jet
-Double Edge
Ahh…choice band Azumarill. Azumarill also offers a strong priority move in aqua jet and has pretty nice coverage with really nice damage output. While it’s rather slow, Azumarill has a nice defence core and good bulkiness. Azumarill is mainly filler, so I’m pretty open to changing it. I was really just looking for something that didn’t leave me with a stinging ground or rock weakness, so any help with more useful suggestions for replacements are greatly appreciated.
This next bit should help explain my reasoning for using these pokemon on the team, briefly.
For the building of this team, I began using a dual-screen support Uxie lead due to the lack of frequently used taunting leads in UU.
Next, I needed a pokemon that was fast, hit hard enough to 1-2HKO most everything with under 5-turn complete setup (to take advantage of screens and sub longevity). Mismagius happened to fit the bill, and with HP Fighting has perfect type coverage.
Next up, I wanted a pokemon that also has relatively quick/easy setup. I found that Houndoom fit this description pretty nicely, with HP Fighting and STAB Fire/Dark attacks. Throw a Nasty Plot in the mix and we’ve got ourselves a bloodbath.
Next, I notice a lack of scarf-ness on my team, and decide I was a physical attacker who hits like a truck. My initial thought was Rampardos and I’ve stuck with it. Anything that’s not fighting-, ground- or steel-type will hate coming in on a 225 BP move coming from 429 attack.
Now I’m noticing a double ground weakness and a lack of priority so why not pop yet another ground-immune pokemon on there? I picked honchkrow for its trapping ability and good attack stat, as well as a good bit of HP.
Ahh…now I just need some filler. I figure that priority wouldn’t hurt, nor would some added bulkiness. Now, for prioriy, I’ve got Scyther and Azumarill, basically. But Scyther takes a whopping 50% from stealth rock which would make 3 rock-weak pokemon on my team, but at the same time adding another ground resistance. Azu’s bulkiness is good though - not weak to ground nor rock, it fits in quite nicely.
I'm open to any and all suggestions, so please, offer your opinions.
