Team [to be decided]:
Well, welcome to my second RMT. Unlike the last RMT I made, this one is for UU play! I have used this team to get into the UU metagame, and it was pretty fun. It didn't crack the leaderboard, nor did it even come close, but I thought it was a pretty fun team, and almost got me to 1400 CRE (yes, I'm a terrible player in UU, I guess!). Mind you, I'm pretty inexperienced with the tier, so if I make stupid mistakes, please point them out and correct them.
Well, this team was centered around spikes stacking, although it sort of fell off-track as you can see. While going for an offensive team, I sort of went into a... balanced team of sorts? I don't know, but hopefully I can go back to an offensive standpoint without sacrificing too much in the way of defense and/or resistances. Without further ado, here is the team!
Froslass (F) @ Leftovers ** Jojora
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spd
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
- Pain Split
This was a bulky Froslass, and I think it was posted by Heysup. It's been amazing in the lead slot, and almost always gets onelayer of spikes down. Froslass is my spiker, as you can see. I did use a suicide lead Froslass here as my lead and spin blocker. Admittedly, it didn't do a very good job, since it was, in fact, my lead and wasn't particularly sturdy. So I switched to a bulky variant I saw and it's been working better. The EVs are to survive two Ambipom Pursuits, although the only Ampibom I've run into with Pursuit critted me the second time, and I died.:P Considering 248 HP /124 Def / 136 Spd with Destiny Bond over Pain Split; although that does mean I lose a lot of survivability, it gives me a sort of "answer" against NP Houndoom, who will often OHKO my entire team assuming it comes in on Froslass. With the aforementioned spread, I can outspeed it and Destiny Bond it for the KO.
Froslass is the obvious lead Pokemon here. It lays down Spikes quickly and easily. Froslass also performs a secondary role as a spin blocker, though it cannot seriously threaten Hitmontop, which is probably more common than Donphan these days thanks to
The moveset is simple. Spikes are well, Spikes! They are a central part of this rather unsuccessful team's strategy. Taunt is for screwing over slower leads without priority and and Ice Beam is for STAB. Pain Split is for "healing", and puts Donphan in KO range for an Ice Beam. Anyways, this isn't quite bog-standard, but admittedly it's pretty fun to use. Considering going standard suicide lead Taunt/Spikes/Shadow Ball/Ice Shard to beat enemy Froslass.
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers ** Beyblade
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature (+ Atk, - SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
- Fake Out
- Bullet Punch
Taking the place of Rhyperior currently.
Hitmontop is my first Rock resistance and my sole check against Umbreon and Clefable. Hitmontop also provides much needed priority for the team in the form of Bullet Punch and Mach Punch, and combined with Slowbro is my answer against most physical threats. In addition, Hitmontop also provides a decent form of physical offense -- Close Combat is powerful enough on its own, however with a layer or two of spikes down, it becomes devestating! Intimidate ruins physical-based Pokemon who do not have a form of set up, too! Hitmontop is also usually the only member to take sleep on this team if Froslass is absent, since my two sweepers hate status, and Slowbro / Registeel are relied upon to check and counter many mons in the UU metagame.
EVs are your standard 252/252/4, nothing really special to see there. Close Combat's purpose is to provide a decent STAB move (although Mach Punch and Bullet Punch can be powerful, they rarely have enough power to do the job in KOing bulkier foes such as Clefable and Umbreon). The power of Close Combat has really surprised me, and has left a dent in even some of the bulkier walls! Mach Punch, Fake Out, and Bullet Punch are my forms of priority. When switching in Hitmontop, I will usually Fake Out first turn to scout for an opponent's switchins, and go to the appropriate check/counter. If the opposing Pokemon is at low health, I'll either Mach Punch or Bullet Punch, whichever one has the most power, and hope that it dies.
Considering Sucker Punch or Rapid Spin to hit Mismagius and Alakazam / clear entry hazards, respectively.
Moltres (?) @ Life Orb ** Clouds of Fire
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Spd / 224 SAtk
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Flamethrower
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Almost in direct contrast to Rhyperior, Moltres has been the most valuable Pokemon on the team. With Stealth Rock and only one layer of Spikes down, Moltres becomes ridiculously powerful, 2HKOing at worst a lot of the metagame. The power of Moltres lategame is simply awe-inspiring. Even when it comes in early, Moltres will take at least two Pokemon down with it. In addition, Moltres is usually my go-to guy for taking just about every attack possible. If Slowbro is weakened, Moltres will typically take the fire-type and fighting-type attacks necessary. It does a very good job of it, too, thanks to those defenses.
Moltres is also my main answer to Registeel and Venusaur: a 2x resistance to Steel, a 4x resistance to Grass, and an immunity to Ground help it do so. In addition, it never has a particularly bad matchup against anything that will come into it, due to spikes usually being set on the field. Random scarfers and bulky waters tend to scare it off, though.
Despite all of this Moltres fanboying from me, there is one huge shortcoming it has: a 4x rock weakness. Now, this is bad enough as it is with attacking moves, but Stealth Rock chips off a massive 50% off of Moltres's health when it comes in, often leaving me in situations where I am at ~40% and forced to switch or die.
Enough rambling, I guess. Flamethrower melts faces off, and Air Slash hits fighters. Both are obvious STAB moves. Hidden Power [Grass] nails bulky waters and Regirock. Roost is for recovery, and has saved Moltres several times when it hangs on by a thread and then heals itself into safety. This has also caught several people off-guard when they Sucker Punch while I Roost, and I sort of get a free heal. :D The EVs are pretty simple: 32 HP hits a Life Orb number, since I was too lazy to change the IVs to have a legal HP [Grass] 70 with a 29 HP IV. However, the extra bulk has come in handy, and I haven't missed the extra attack at all. Moltres is strong enough as it is, I guess!
Raikou (?) @ Life Orb ** Blood and Thunder
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Extrasensory
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Grass]
This set is what I consider my ace in the hole: it's generally the Pokemon to come out after Moltres has done its job, and often the one who pulls off sweeps! Raikou provides me with a ridiculous punch, and hits almost everything in UU hard. I need to be careful with it though; occasionally Dugtrio comes out and shows its face when I Thunderbolt... Erm, well Raikou is my second abuser of Spikes, and an excellent one at that! Since it's very easy to set up, its power often surpasses Moltres, though even without a boost, Raikou rivals the sheer power of Moltres. The best part about using this set is that Venusaur often comes in and shows itself, only to eat an Extrasensory to the face! I primarily chose Raikou because I wanted something fast and something that could hit hard: Raikou fit the bill perfectly! Having trouble with Chansey though, and although I love this thing to death, I might need to change it.:(
EVs are uninteresting. However, they maximize speed and power, so that's always good. Calm Mind is the move I will usually use first; Raikou with 319 Special Attack, a +1 boost, and a Life Orb attached is not something you want to face! Thunderbolt is my STAB move, and a monstrous one at that. It''s an excellent move, but I'm considering Thunder (call me crazy) for the extra PUNCH. It would probably screw me over in the long run, but landing a guaranteed 2HKO on Umbreon with a +1 Thunder with a layer of Spikes / SR sounds too good to pass up. Extrasensory is probably the greatest part of this moveset, since it smacks Venusaur! HP [Grass] is for Quagsire and Gastrodon mainly (most non-grass mons weak to HP Grass are usually hit harder by a neutral Thunderbolt!).
Slowbro (M) @ Leftovers ** HURRRRRR
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SDef
Bold Nature (+ Def, - Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Now we come to what is probably my favorite member of the team: Slowbro. While Moltres is definitely the MVP, I don't think this team would work as well as it does without Slowbro. The ability of Slowbro to stand up to so many hits in UU never ceases to amaze me. In addition, Slowbro paralyzes a punch of the things that come in on it attempting to set up, and not many of them really enjoy being paralyzed! In addition, Slowbro provides an extra resistance to Fighting, as well as Fire and my only resistance to Water. Slowbro, combined with Registeel really ease prediction for me and give a defensive backbone to rely on when I think my prediction could fail me. In addition, Slowbro is my answer to rain teams, and is invaluable against them, thanks to HP [Grass] and Thunder Wave. Though I suppose it can't touch Qwilfish, paralysis is usually enough.
EV spread was pretty much max HP / highest jump point in Defense / rest in special defense, and the 36 EV difference in Defense is negligible. However, the extra special defense has won me a game or two. I've already explained the moveset, but I suppose I could restate it! Thunder Wave is for the sake of paralyzing almost everything that comes in!! Slack Off is for recovery, Surf is for STAB, and HP [Grass] is for just about every Water-type in UU, especially Omastar and Kabutops.
Registeel (?) @ Leftovers ** Black Dog
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Atk / 156 SDef
Careful Nature (+ SDef, - SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Punch / Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
Registeel is my switch-into-anything-you-want-to-and-still-survive Pokemon. As previously stated, Registeel and Slowbro form a defensive core and a "glue" to the team. However, it comes at a price: the team's pace is slowed by these two. I'm admittedly reluctant to change either of them due to the fact that they take SO MANY HITS and still keep on kicking. Registeel is my SR-layer, and does a pretty solid job of it due to the fact that it can come in on just about anything, not die, and lay down Stealth Rock. My only gripe with it is that it doesn't do much else once SR is laid down. It will probably force a switch, launch a weak hit, and switch out into Moltres/Raikou. Although it is set up fodder for some Pokemon, Registeel still helps the team greatly.
EVs come straight from the analysis, like Raikou's. Moveset is slightly different, though, due to the addition of Ice Punch. Ice Punch has actually been pretty handy so far, killing some fliers outright rather than paralyzing them. It also is an OHKO on average to Dugtrio after a layer of Stealth Rock and Spikes. Stealth Rock was already mentioned, but it's an almost essential move to have, crippling Moltres and other fliers. Earthquake is for smacking other Registeel and fires, and is just an awesome move to have due to what type the move is and the high base power. Iron Head is my STAB move, and the only thing in Registeel's repertoire that is going to kill Mismagius.
_______________________________
_______________________________
Well, there we go! I hope you've enjoyed reading this. Hopefully, you'll know what to do with this team, as I've attempted to change it and it kinda flopped ~_~ Anyways, this team has been pretty fun to play with, and I enjoyed making it. Although there are a few things I'm unhappy with, and hopefully that's where you come in!
There are undoubtedly more, so feel free to point them out! Also, I'm not making a threat list; I don't know who the strongest Pokemon in UU are and I probably wouldn't finish the threat list anyway. So that's all! Thanks to Bulbapedia for the images, and sincerely, thank you for reading this. If you'd like for me to explain something about the team, please ask me. I'd be more than happy to respond.
Well, welcome to my second RMT. Unlike the last RMT I made, this one is for UU play! I have used this team to get into the UU metagame, and it was pretty fun. It didn't crack the leaderboard, nor did it even come close, but I thought it was a pretty fun team, and almost got me to 1400 CRE (yes, I'm a terrible player in UU, I guess!). Mind you, I'm pretty inexperienced with the tier, so if I make stupid mistakes, please point them out and correct them.
Well, this team was centered around spikes stacking, although it sort of fell off-track as you can see. While going for an offensive team, I sort of went into a... balanced team of sorts? I don't know, but hopefully I can go back to an offensive standpoint without sacrificing too much in the way of defense and/or resistances. Without further ado, here is the team!
---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Froslass (F) @ Leftovers ** Jojora
Trait: Snow Cloak
EVs: 248 HP / 228 Def / 32 Spd
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Ice Beam
- Pain Split
This was a bulky Froslass, and I think it was posted by Heysup. It's been amazing in the lead slot, and almost always gets onelayer of spikes down. Froslass is my spiker, as you can see. I did use a suicide lead Froslass here as my lead and spin blocker. Admittedly, it didn't do a very good job, since it was, in fact, my lead and wasn't particularly sturdy. So I switched to a bulky variant I saw and it's been working better. The EVs are to survive two Ambipom Pursuits, although the only Ampibom I've run into with Pursuit critted me the second time, and I died.:P Considering 248 HP /124 Def / 136 Spd with Destiny Bond over Pain Split; although that does mean I lose a lot of survivability, it gives me a sort of "answer" against NP Houndoom, who will often OHKO my entire team assuming it comes in on Froslass. With the aforementioned spread, I can outspeed it and Destiny Bond it for the KO.
Froslass is the obvious lead Pokemon here. It lays down Spikes quickly and easily. Froslass also performs a secondary role as a spin blocker, though it cannot seriously threaten Hitmontop, which is probably more common than Donphan these days thanks to
The moveset is simple. Spikes are well, Spikes! They are a central part of this rather unsuccessful team's strategy. Taunt is for screwing over slower leads without priority and and Ice Beam is for STAB. Pain Split is for "healing", and puts Donphan in KO range for an Ice Beam. Anyways, this isn't quite bog-standard, but admittedly it's pretty fun to use. Considering going standard suicide lead Taunt/Spikes/Shadow Ball/Ice Shard to beat enemy Froslass.
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers ** Beyblade
Trait: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature (+ Atk, - SAtk)
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
- Fake Out
- Bullet Punch
Taking the place of Rhyperior currently.
Hitmontop is my first Rock resistance and my sole check against Umbreon and Clefable. Hitmontop also provides much needed priority for the team in the form of Bullet Punch and Mach Punch, and combined with Slowbro is my answer against most physical threats. In addition, Hitmontop also provides a decent form of physical offense -- Close Combat is powerful enough on its own, however with a layer or two of spikes down, it becomes devestating! Intimidate ruins physical-based Pokemon who do not have a form of set up, too! Hitmontop is also usually the only member to take sleep on this team if Froslass is absent, since my two sweepers hate status, and Slowbro / Registeel are relied upon to check and counter many mons in the UU metagame.
EVs are your standard 252/252/4, nothing really special to see there. Close Combat's purpose is to provide a decent STAB move (although Mach Punch and Bullet Punch can be powerful, they rarely have enough power to do the job in KOing bulkier foes such as Clefable and Umbreon). The power of Close Combat has really surprised me, and has left a dent in even some of the bulkier walls! Mach Punch, Fake Out, and Bullet Punch are my forms of priority. When switching in Hitmontop, I will usually Fake Out first turn to scout for an opponent's switchins, and go to the appropriate check/counter. If the opposing Pokemon is at low health, I'll either Mach Punch or Bullet Punch, whichever one has the most power, and hope that it dies.
Considering Sucker Punch or Rapid Spin to hit Mismagius and Alakazam / clear entry hazards, respectively.
Moltres (?) @ Life Orb ** Clouds of Fire
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 32 HP / 252 Spd / 224 SAtk
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Flamethrower
- Roost
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Almost in direct contrast to Rhyperior, Moltres has been the most valuable Pokemon on the team. With Stealth Rock and only one layer of Spikes down, Moltres becomes ridiculously powerful, 2HKOing at worst a lot of the metagame. The power of Moltres lategame is simply awe-inspiring. Even when it comes in early, Moltres will take at least two Pokemon down with it. In addition, Moltres is usually my go-to guy for taking just about every attack possible. If Slowbro is weakened, Moltres will typically take the fire-type and fighting-type attacks necessary. It does a very good job of it, too, thanks to those defenses.
Moltres is also my main answer to Registeel and Venusaur: a 2x resistance to Steel, a 4x resistance to Grass, and an immunity to Ground help it do so. In addition, it never has a particularly bad matchup against anything that will come into it, due to spikes usually being set on the field. Random scarfers and bulky waters tend to scare it off, though.
Despite all of this Moltres fanboying from me, there is one huge shortcoming it has: a 4x rock weakness. Now, this is bad enough as it is with attacking moves, but Stealth Rock chips off a massive 50% off of Moltres's health when it comes in, often leaving me in situations where I am at ~40% and forced to switch or die.
Enough rambling, I guess. Flamethrower melts faces off, and Air Slash hits fighters. Both are obvious STAB moves. Hidden Power [Grass] nails bulky waters and Regirock. Roost is for recovery, and has saved Moltres several times when it hangs on by a thread and then heals itself into safety. This has also caught several people off-guard when they Sucker Punch while I Roost, and I sort of get a free heal. :D The EVs are pretty simple: 32 HP hits a Life Orb number, since I was too lazy to change the IVs to have a legal HP [Grass] 70 with a 29 HP IV. However, the extra bulk has come in handy, and I haven't missed the extra attack at all. Moltres is strong enough as it is, I guess!
Raikou (?) @ Life Orb ** Blood and Thunder
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 Def / 252 Spd / 252 SAtk
Timid Nature (+ Spd, - Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Extrasensory
- Calm Mind
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Changed from a Sub/CM moveset, and it's been working better.
This set is what I consider my ace in the hole: it's generally the Pokemon to come out after Moltres has done its job, and often the one who pulls off sweeps! Raikou provides me with a ridiculous punch, and hits almost everything in UU hard. I need to be careful with it though; occasionally Dugtrio comes out and shows its face when I Thunderbolt... Erm, well Raikou is my second abuser of Spikes, and an excellent one at that! Since it's very easy to set up, its power often surpasses Moltres, though even without a boost, Raikou rivals the sheer power of Moltres. The best part about using this set is that Venusaur often comes in and shows itself, only to eat an Extrasensory to the face! I primarily chose Raikou because I wanted something fast and something that could hit hard: Raikou fit the bill perfectly! Having trouble with Chansey though, and although I love this thing to death, I might need to change it.:(
EVs are uninteresting. However, they maximize speed and power, so that's always good. Calm Mind is the move I will usually use first; Raikou with 319 Special Attack, a +1 boost, and a Life Orb attached is not something you want to face! Thunderbolt is my STAB move, and a monstrous one at that. It''s an excellent move, but I'm considering Thunder (call me crazy) for the extra PUNCH. It would probably screw me over in the long run, but landing a guaranteed 2HKO on Umbreon with a +1 Thunder with a layer of Spikes / SR sounds too good to pass up. Extrasensory is probably the greatest part of this moveset, since it smacks Venusaur! HP [Grass] is for Quagsire and Gastrodon mainly (most non-grass mons weak to HP Grass are usually hit harder by a neutral Thunderbolt!).
Slowbro (M) @ Leftovers ** HURRRRRR
Trait: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 216 Def / 40 SDef
Bold Nature (+ Def, - Atk)
- Thunder Wave
- Slack Off
- Surf
- Hidden Power [Grass]
Now we come to what is probably my favorite member of the team: Slowbro. While Moltres is definitely the MVP, I don't think this team would work as well as it does without Slowbro. The ability of Slowbro to stand up to so many hits in UU never ceases to amaze me. In addition, Slowbro paralyzes a punch of the things that come in on it attempting to set up, and not many of them really enjoy being paralyzed! In addition, Slowbro provides an extra resistance to Fighting, as well as Fire and my only resistance to Water. Slowbro, combined with Registeel really ease prediction for me and give a defensive backbone to rely on when I think my prediction could fail me. In addition, Slowbro is my answer to rain teams, and is invaluable against them, thanks to HP [Grass] and Thunder Wave. Though I suppose it can't touch Qwilfish, paralysis is usually enough.
EV spread was pretty much max HP / highest jump point in Defense / rest in special defense, and the 36 EV difference in Defense is negligible. However, the extra special defense has won me a game or two. I've already explained the moveset, but I suppose I could restate it! Thunder Wave is for the sake of paralyzing almost everything that comes in!! Slack Off is for recovery, Surf is for STAB, and HP [Grass] is for just about every Water-type in UU, especially Omastar and Kabutops.
Registeel (?) @ Leftovers ** Black Dog
Trait: Clear Body
EVs: 252 HP / 100 Atk / 156 SDef
Careful Nature (+ SDef, - SAtk)
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Ice Punch / Thunder Wave
- Iron Head
Registeel is my switch-into-anything-you-want-to-and-still-survive Pokemon. As previously stated, Registeel and Slowbro form a defensive core and a "glue" to the team. However, it comes at a price: the team's pace is slowed by these two. I'm admittedly reluctant to change either of them due to the fact that they take SO MANY HITS and still keep on kicking. Registeel is my SR-layer, and does a pretty solid job of it due to the fact that it can come in on just about anything, not die, and lay down Stealth Rock. My only gripe with it is that it doesn't do much else once SR is laid down. It will probably force a switch, launch a weak hit, and switch out into Moltres/Raikou. Although it is set up fodder for some Pokemon, Registeel still helps the team greatly.
EVs come straight from the analysis, like Raikou's. Moveset is slightly different, though, due to the addition of Ice Punch. Ice Punch has actually been pretty handy so far, killing some fliers outright rather than paralyzing them. It also is an OHKO on average to Dugtrio after a layer of Stealth Rock and Spikes. Stealth Rock was already mentioned, but it's an almost essential move to have, crippling Moltres and other fliers. Earthquake is for smacking other Registeel and fires, and is just an awesome move to have due to what type the move is and the high base power. Iron Head is my STAB move, and the only thing in Registeel's repertoire that is going to kill Mismagius.
_______________________________
A Final Look:
- Bulky Froslass
- Hitmontop
- LO Moltres
- LO Raikou
- Thunder Wave Slowbro
- Registeel
_______________________________
Conclusion:
Well, there we go! I hope you've enjoyed reading this. Hopefully, you'll know what to do with this team, as I've attempted to change it and it kinda flopped ~_~ Anyways, this team has been pretty fun to play with, and I enjoyed making it. Although there are a few things I'm unhappy with, and hopefully that's where you come in!
Just so you know, the team has issues with:
- Three Ground Weaknesses: Moltres probably isn't the best switch-in to Pokemon that carry Ground moves, since the 4x SR weakness kind of forces it to Roost, and most Grounds typically carry another move or Roar. Either way, it's not much fun. Considering something that's reistant/immune to Ground to solve this.
- Umbreon: Raikou cannot break it, Moltres gets walled, and it can always switch out of Rhyperior. The other three get walled silly.
- Clefable: See Umbreon, though it is even more annoying since it has no trouble KOing Rhyperior AND has immunity to residual damage. Encore screws over my set up sweepers, and Thunder Wave + Softboiled beats Moltres. While I'm aware Clefable can't use Double-Edge/Grass Knot/Thunder Wave/Toxic/Stealth Rock/Encore/Seismic Toss/Fire Blast on the same set, it is hard, if not impossible to maneuver around.
There are undoubtedly more, so feel free to point them out! Also, I'm not making a threat list; I don't know who the strongest Pokemon in UU are and I probably wouldn't finish the threat list anyway. So that's all! Thanks to Bulbapedia for the images, and sincerely, thank you for reading this. If you'd like for me to explain something about the team, please ask me. I'd be more than happy to respond.
