The Philadelphia 76ers [UU]

[Dubulous]

Welcome to my RMT!

After getting manhandled in all of my OU matches as a new Smogon user, I decided to focus my attention on a more balanced metagame: UU. This is essentially the result of my first team building attempt for the metagame. I've tweaked it slightly, but overall it's stayed the same. I've tried making other teams to outclass this one, but all of my attempts have been futile. This team has gotten me onto the UU ladder, albeit at #50, which is far and away my best result ever. I do feel, however, that with a few more tweaks this team could be vastly improved.

I've named each member of the team after a player on my favorite basketball team: The Philadelphia 76ers. I'll explain why each member got his name in my descriptions.

Feel free to leave any suggestions that you may have. All will be listened to and taken into great consideration. Thank you very much!

Changes:

~ Changed Aerial Ace to Pursuit on Ambipom
~ Changed EV's on Milotic
~ Changed Toxic to HP Grass on Milotic

Ambipom @ Silk Scarf [Andre Miller]
Adament
Technician
252 Atk/252 Spd/6 HP
~Fake Out
~Double Hit
~U-Turn
~Pursuit

Ambipom is an absolute beast of a lead in UU. It beats (or puts a large dent on) most all other leads, with the exception of the rare Steelix lead. The strategy is simple. Fake Out to do free damage and to scout other leads. For example, by looking at the damage output, I can tell what kind of Moltres lead I'm dealing with and switch to a counter. The bonus for Ampipom is that it doesn't usually take damage in the early game, which allows it to come back in and threaten as a late game sweeper.

Ambipom is named Andre Miller because they both set up their teammates so well, by scouting how they will be defending and passing off to the appropriate counter/shooter.

Registeel @ Shed Shell [Lou Williams]
Careful
252 HP/100 Atk/156 SpDef
~Stealth Rock
~Thunder Wave
~Earthquake
~Iron Head

Registeel does it's job well as it almost always gets up rocks. It is a monster to take out with it's incredibly high defensive stats. Donphan/Torterra are the most common switch in's, but if they don't come in then I can proceed to paralyzing before I set up my attack. Earthquake is nice for the Roserade that think they can switch in safely, and Iron Head provides STAB. I don't attack much with Registeel, though, so I'm considering Explosion over Earthquake.

Registeel is named after Lou Williams because they both perform their roles well. Registeel is counted on in small bursts to best serve the team, and the same is expected out of Lou.

Blaziken @ Life Orb [Thaddeus Young]
Mild
236 Atk/20 Spd/252 SpAtk
~Fire Blast
~Super Power
~HP Grass
~Vacuum Wave

Blaziken is a monster to handle. It comes in easily on Registeel and Steelix, as they often get Stealth Rock up before they attack or cripple. Blaziken promptly forces them out and forces the opponant to make the difficult prediction between Fire Blast and Superpower. The early mind games often put me at the advantage throughout the whole match. HP Grass hits waters that think they can come in safely, and Vacuum Wave gives me some priority to play with.

Blaziken is named after Thaddeus Young because they both have the potential to take over the game at any moment. The opponent is forced to gameplan around them unless they want to be taken out of the game early.

Clefable @ Toxic Orb [Samuel Dalembert]
Calm
Magic Guard
252 HP/152 Def/4 Spd/100 SpDef
~ Encore
~ Thunder Wave
~ Softboiled
~ Seismic Toss

Clefable is such an unpredictable Pokémon that the opponant can not possibly know what to expect. The Toxic Orb serves to prevent status like Sleep and Paralysis from hindering Clefable as well as feigning a Facade set. I find Encore to be far more effective, as I can take on Milotic 1-on-1 and win barring any critical hits. He's bulky enough to take most neutral hits without breaking a sweat as he proceeds to paralyze and heal off the damage. Softboiled provides instant recovery, which I prefer over the team support. Seismic Toss gives me a consistent attack.

Clefable is named after Samuel Dalembert because they are both known for their defensive prowess, as well as being less than stellar on offense. Come in and try to set up for the easy sweep and you'll stuffed in your attempts, humiliating the opponant for the rest of the match.

Torterra @ Lum Berry [Elton Brand]
Adamant
252 Atk/6 Def/252 Spd
~ Wood Hammer
~ Earthquake
~ Rock Polish
~ Stone Edge

Torterra has a tendancy to sneak up on opponants. After a Rock Polish, Torterra outspeeds the vast majority of the non-Scarfed metagame, giving it a real chance to sweep. Lum Berry prevents any unwelcome status from ruining his fun. Wood Hammer gives me a stong STAB attack, though the recoil damage is regrettable. Stone Edge comats any Swellows that think they have the upper hand, and Earthquake is for a slightly weaker yet non-recoiling STAB.

Torterra is named after Elton Brand because he can be the star of the show. Nothing is more fearsome than a speeding giant turtle. However, like Elton, Torterra has a tendancy to hurt himself while wreaking havoc, which can put an end to his dominance.

Milotic @ Leftovers [Andre Iguodala]
Bold
252 HP/200 Def/56 SpAtk
~ Surf
~ Ice Beam
~ HP Grass
~ Recover

What exactly would a UU team be without a Milotic? Milotic often ends up being my MVP, as it seriously screws over threats with it's toxics. If I can predict right, Ice Beam screws over the countless Roserade/Venusaur/Toxicroak switch-ins. Surf provides quality STAB, and Toxic gives me another status to cripple anything that hasn't been paralyzed. Recover allows me to Toxic-stall an opponant if that is what it comes down to, as Milotic is tough to take down in two hits. The EV's allow me to outspeed Adament Torterra, whom I can OHKO with Ice Beam.

Milotic is named after Andre Iguodala because he is the glue that keeps the team together. Through thick and thin, you know that you can always rely on Milotic to come through. Just like Iguodala, playing him right can often lead to a victory for the team.

~~~

Well, there you have it. To my knowledge this is the only team on Smogon to be named after a sports team. Similar to the 76ers, this team largely hovers around mediocre, beating the teams that it should consistently, and giving better teams a tough match-up a majority of the time. I would like to get up to the level of the Celtics eventually, to keep with the basketball theme, so please feel free to rate!

 

[Dubulous]

Defensive Threats
​

Articuno - I have yet to encounter one during play, but Clefable could easily handle this. Ambipom can also come in and Fake Out for the KO.

Blastoise - Milotic doesn't fear anything Blastoise throws at him, and can Toxic-stall him to death. Registeel and Clefable both can foil any attempts to Toxic.

Chansey - Torterra can come in and set up on Chansey.

Claydol - Milotic handles anything Claydol has, and Clefable can beat him 1-on-1.

Clefable - Clefable is annoying, but Blaziken easily handles it with Superpower.

Cloyster - Rarely see any Cloysters, but it is essentially set up bait. Torterra can come in and 2HKO with Wood Hammer.

Cradily - Blaziken handles it, but Clefable can also beat it 1-on-1. Ambipom can finish it off if the need arises.

Donphan - Not a huge threat if Milotic is still in the game, as it can Toxic-Stall if it wants or simply Ice Beam it to death.

Drapion - Torterra handles it with Earthquake as it attempts to Toxic

Gastrodon - Hardly see any Gastrodons, but I imagine Torterra can easily best it.

Hypno - Can be potentially annoying, but Clefable usually can finish it off thanks to a few fully paralyzes.

Kangaskhan - Can be a problem for this team, especially if it gets a sub up. Usually I have to do as much damage as possible with Blaziken before I finish it off with Ampipom. Extremely annoying.

Lanturn - Can be tough to handle, but Torterra can come in on a Thunderbolt and finish it with Earthquake.

Lapras - Milotic can Toxic, and Clefable can come in and Encore any Dragon Dances or Substitutes.

Luxray - Torterra takes care of this effectively, as it can Rock Polish up and proceed to wreak havoc.

Meganium - Ambipom hits it hard with Fake Out/U Turn, and Blaziken can finish it with Fire Blast.

Mesprit - I don't get these too often, but they are mostly leads and Ambipom can usually beat them. They get their rocks up, though.

Milotic - Milotic can be tough if Clefable isn't around. Clefable easily walls it and out-stalls it, however.

Miltank - Another annoying Normal-type, I usually just throw Blaziken in and Superpower.

Moltres - Moltres isn't too much of a problem, as most of them are leads. Fake Out allows me to scout for the item, however I always switch to Milotic in any event. Milotic has no trouble finishing off either Life Orb or Scarfed versions.

Muk - I don't remember encountering many Muk, but Registeel can block any Toxics/Poison Jabs and beat it with Earthquake.

Nidoqueen - Milotic beats it pretty handily, and any lead variants are easily bested by Ambipom.

Porygon2 - A more common sight in OU, this is pretty easy to beat with Blaziken.

Probopass - Usually tries to trap Registeel, only to have it switch out to either Blaziken or Torterra for the swift kill.

Quagsire - Torterra mashes it.

Regigigas - Can be annoying, but Milotic manages to get the Toxic in before it sets up a Sub. Then it's a matter of holding it off before five turns are up, but even then the Toxic limits its sweeping potential.

Regirock - Torterra eats this thing up for lunch.

Regice - I have yet to encounter one, but Blaziken will defeat it easily.

Registeel - Take your pick between Blaziken and Torterra, they both feast on it.

Rotom - Torterra can come in on a Choiced Rotom, to take either the Scarf or the Thunderbolt. Sub-Rotoms are trouble though, but I usually encore it into Thunderbolting with Clefable.

Shuckle - Shuckle is really annoying, but Clefable handles it easily with S-Toss.

Slowbro - Torterra beats it usally, but Milotic loves to come in an poison it.

Spiritomb - Spiritomb is really annoying. I generally just try to pummel it as hard as I can. Sometimes I'll send Clefable in on a Will-O-Wisp so I can encore it. Clefable can't touch Spiritomb on his own, though.

Uxie - A Lead more often then not, Ambipom takes a large chunk out of it with Fake Out and U-Turn. Trixie can be a problem because it essentially takes Ambipom out of the game, but those are quite rare.

Weezing - Can be tricky, but Blaziken can pummel it with Fire Blast if it gets the chance to get in.

.......
Offensive Threats
​

Absol - Milotic handles it easily by Toxic Stalling it as it fails to 2HKO with Superpower.

Altaria - Again, Milotic can easily beat it with Ice Beam.

Ambipom - Registeel does it's job on it easily, and gets severly crippled if it dares to stay in and try to Brick Break. Blaziken can usually finish it off, then.

Arcanine - Milotic rocks his world.

Azumarill - Tricky because it is tough to defeat once behind a Sub. I usually switch in Clefable to try to Encore a Sub or an Aqua Jet. Torterra can handle it if it doesn't have Ice Punch.

Blaziken - Milotic handles it quite easily, as it fails to 2HKO on a Choiced ThunderPunch or HP Grass.

Camerupt - I hardly encounter any of these, but Milotic can usually handle him

Charizard - BellyZard can be difficult to handle, but Ampipom can take it out with Fake Out and Double Hit.

Drapion - Torterra can Earthquake it or Registeel can wall it. Clefable can encore any attempts to set up a Swords Dance.

Dugtrio - Always manages to get a kill on Blaziken, but Ambipom takes care of the revenging.

Espeon - Not tough to beat at all. Clefable can absorb any attack or Encore any attempts to set up a Calm Mind.

Feraligatr - Tricky if it switches in on Milotic, which it often does. The best I can do is try to send in Clefable to encore whatever move it uses after it uses Dragon Dance. Then I paralyze it before I die and try to finish it off with Ambipom or Torterra.

Froslass - Blaziken melts this thing.

Glaceon - Blaziken again has no problems with this.

Hariyama - Milotic takes care of him with Toxic, and even with the potential Guts boost Hariyama doesn't scare Milotic.

Hitmonlee - Milotic once again takes anything Hitmonlee deals out like a champ.

Hitmontop - This is a common switch in to Clefable, so hopefully I am able to paralyze it on the switch. Milotic or Torterra is my best bet against it, but it gets really annoying with it's constant switching and priority. Not a huge threat but if enough fighters are stacked together I'm usually in trouble.

Honckrow - Kind of sucks, but Milotic once again takes care of it. Usually it'll Superpower on the switch and try to Sucker Punch me to death, but I stall it out with Toxic.

Houndoom - Usually switches in on Blaziken for the Flash Fire boost, but I can usually stay in and beat it with a Vacuum Wave iirc.

Kabutops - Only in the rain do I see Kabutops, and it can cause trouble as it outspeeds everything. It's especially worrying if it gets a Swords Dance in.

Leafeon - I hardly ever see this, and for some reason I always underestimate it's bulk. Clefable can attempt to Encore it if it gets greedy with it's Swords Dancing, otherwise I try to ward it off with Blaziken.

Linoone - I only ever see it Belly Drum, and Registeel walls it easily.

Magmortar - Can be tough, especially if it comes out late game. I usually turn to Milotic to handle it, but I have to eat a Thunderbolt which isn't exactly fun. If I can manage to Encore a Thunderbolt than Torterra can come in, but that rarely happens. Ambipom can clean it up after Milotic does some damage.

Magneton - Choice ones I don't really have any problems with, but SubTons give me tons of trouble. The best I can do is try to whittle away with Ambipom before revenging with Blaziken. I do not like giving away Ambipom early which is why it's such a big problem.

Marowak - Eh, trick room isn't that tough for this team as I do have some slower guys. Milotic can take it's hits and OHKO back.

Medicham - Ambipom can usually deal with this with Fake Out / Double Hit.

Mismagius - Taunt Magius sucks to deal with because my main strategy is to Encore attempts to set up. If it is a Taunt version Torterra can OHKO with Wood Hammer.

Nidoking - Usually a lead, and Ambipom has no trouble weakening it severely.

Ninetales - Blaziken can handle anything that Ninetales throws at it, but it's hardly ever seen. Not really a threat.

Omastar - See: Kabutops.

Poliwrath - Torterra can OHKO with Wood Hammer, but Ambipom can also kill it with Fake Out and Double Hit.

Primeape - Milotic again.

Roserade - Usually they switch into Milotic and proceed to lay Spikes or Toxic Spikes. Blaziken can get it but not before it does it's job.

Sceptile - Registeel walls it, Clefable can also stop it from setting up with Encore. Blaziken scores a Super Effective Fire Blast if it is safe to come in.

Scyther - Ambipom can clean this bug up, as can most everything on my team.

Sharpedo - Not very common, but Ambipom puts a large dent in it with Fake Out and U Turn while Blaziken can come in and finish it with Vacuum Wave.

Slaking - Truant is the downfall as Blaziken can come in easily on it.

Swellow - Registeel walls it completely.

Tauros - Again, Registeel walls it and Ambipom can finish it off if need be.

Typhlosion - Most are leads, which Ambipom controls, otherwise Milotic does the job quite nicely.

Ursaring - Not a huge threat as Milotic can handle anything they have.

Venusaur - Clefable handles both Swords Dance and Leech Seed versions either by Encoring him or negating Leech Seed damage.

~~~

A large thank you goes out to Legacy Raider and Imran for making the template for the Threat Down.

 

[franky]

Problems:

SubPunch Azumarill
SD / DD Feraligatr


How to fix:

Hey, great team caught my eyes because its Sixers, one of my favorite teams in the NBA. Glad to see you themed it like this, well anyways lets get back to the team. SubPunch Azumarill w/ Ice Punch is really going to give you troubles. What opening does it need? Well Milotic, and only milotic. Without any source of breaking its Sub, your going to find yourself wasting your PP on Surf to break it. My suggestion would be Hidden Power Grass for Toxic. Why? Because it prevents Azumarill from subbing anything, and it also 2HKOs SD Feraligatr. Toxic isn't really needed because you have high-powered sweepers to compensate for that. Gl with the team, and go sixers..

 

[Dubulous]

Yeah, it's certainly worth a shot, though I find Toxic to be one of my most reliable moves. Thanks for the rate! I'll test it out and report back with my results.

 

[Dubulous]

Love the sixers. Andre Miller Is in Portland now though :( nice team though

I know he's in Portland, I was really bummed when I heard the news. This team now serves as an homage to last years Sixers, especially since this year we don't really have a point guard.

 

[Conan Edogawa415]

True no point as of yet. Maybe lou will play point this year, but Jrue Holliday is the future PG :)

 

[Peachfuzz]

Your team looks like it has a big weakness to fighting, even though you list the Hitmons and Hariyama is little threats. Choice Scarf Hitmonlee can OHKO or 2HKO your entire team with the help of Stealth Rock. With Limber, it can sneak in pretty well on Clefable and Registeel. Your hope it to get some CC defense drops and revenge kill with priority.

To help with this you can try a Slowbro over Milotic with a similar set. Even though Milotic has higher special defense, you are using Clefable and Registeel to cover your special defensive ends, and using Milotic on the physical side. The fighting resistance will be greatly appreciated. The downside is that you lose a reliable answer to Houndoom, but your entire team is giving it a lot of trouble, and it will hardly find the time to stat up and sweep. Slowbro will also give you the best answer you can get besides Tangrowth to physical water types. I think you can try a simple set of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA Bold with Surf, Ice Beam, Slack Off, and Psychic. Hidden Power Grass isn't necessary for taking on these water types, and Psychic also helps with the fighting types. I don't think Toxic is necessary because you have many answers to the threats you will be hitting with Toxic. Things like Chansey (taken advantage of by Blaziken and Lum Berry Torterra), CM Slowbro (pressured by Blaziken, Encored by Clefable, Exploded on by Registeel, and ruined by Torterra), and other general bulky water types, who don't really give you any problems at all.

Definitely put Shadow Claw or Payback on Ambipom over Aerial Ace. The ability to hit ghosts will be put to good use. Even though you have Mismagius well covered, the problem will be Rotom, who can deal heavy damage to your team if Clefable gets Tricked.

 

[Dubulous]

Your team looks like it has a big weakness to fighting, even though you list the Hitmons and Hariyama is little threats. Choice Scarf Hitmonlee can OHKO or 2HKO your entire team with the help of Stealth Rock. With Limber, it can sneak in pretty well on Clefable and Registeel. Your hope it to get some CC defense drops and revenge kill with priority.

To help with this you can try a Slowbro over Milotic with a similar set. Even though Milotic has higher special defense, you are using Clefable and Registeel to cover your special defensive ends, and using Milotic on the physical side. The fighting resistance will be greatly appreciated. The downside is that you lose a reliable answer to Houndoom, but your entire team is giving it a lot of trouble, and it will hardly find the time to stat up and sweep. Slowbro will also give you the best answer you can get besides Tangrowth to physical water types. I think you can try a simple set of 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA Bold with Surf, Ice Beam, Slack Off, and Psychic. Hidden Power Grass isn't necessary for taking on these water types, and Psychic also helps with the fighting types. I don't think Toxic is necessary because you have many answers to the threats you will be hitting with Toxic. Things like Chansey (taken advantage of by Blaziken and Lum Berry Torterra), CM Slowbro (pressured by Blaziken, Encored by Clefable, Exploded on by Registeel, and ruined by Torterra), and other general bulky water types, who don't really give you any problems at all.

Definitely put Shadow Claw or Payback on Ambipom over Aerial Ace. The ability to hit ghosts will be put to good use. Even though you have Mismagius well covered, the problem will be Rotom, who can deal heavy damage to your team if Clefable gets Tricked.

Hey, thanks for the awesome rate! I originally had Aerial Ace on Ambipom to try and combat my massive fighting weakness, though I've had some discussions with Whistle on Shoddy and I now realize that this was quite stupid of me. It has been fixed to Pursuit for the time being, though I will look long and hard at Shadow Claw.

Additionally, I think I will give the Slowbro a try. Fighters do cause a little bit of a problem for me, though I admittedly try to mask that with the threat list. Slowbro would also help with Blaziken a little bit more than Milotic would thanks to that extra resistence.

 

[Dubulous]

OK, I've tried out Slowbro, and while it does help me out with the fighters, it opens up a rather large hole against Donphan. Without Milotic, I don't really have any solid checks for him. This problem outweighs the much more minor one with fighters, so I've decided to keep Milotic.

Also, this serves as my first and last bump.