So, this is my first RMT on Smogon, so be nice, but still don't hold back on being Critical.
Anyway, a while back, I decided to try Ubers and I ABSOLUTELY loved it.
This is the first good team I made and has gotten me to about 1540 Ubers CRE, very close to being on the ladder. without Further Ado, heres the Team
Darkrai @ Lum Berry
Timid/Bad Dreams
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
-Dark Pulse
-Dark Void
-Focus Blast
-Substitute
Lead Darkrai is quite popular in the Ubers environment, both Focus Sash and Scarfed Versions. So, I invented this Darkrai to beat Both and have an alright time against others.
Timid and 252 Speed EVs ensures that Darkrai Speed Ties with other Darkrai without a Choice Scarf and Non-Scarf HP Fire Shaymin-S. Maxing SpA gives Darkrai the maximium attacking Power
Dark Pulse is for STAB and Focus Blast gives near universal coverage, with only Heracross resisting both. An 80% chance for sleep with Dark Void is simply too good to pass up.
Substitute is an interesting move on Darkrai. It blocks Status, which gives me a way to beat Lum Status leads like Lead Groudon and allow Darkrai a chance to get in a sleep something later should Sleep clause not be in effect and be up against something that likes to Spread Status. It also Scouts for Choice Users and since many players have Scizor as their best answer to Darkrai, it puts them in a compromising position, switch out their best answer to Darkrai, or break the sub with BP and risk me switching in something resistant.
As any good Lead, Darkrai needs to perform consistently against other popular leads
Deoxys-f: Switch to Groudon to eat the Superpower, then Scizor on the Ice Beam/ Grass Knot
Deoxys-e: Dark Pulse straight away to avoid getting taunted and wasting a turn. If its sashed, it will live, but Darkrai always stops more than 2 layers
Kyogre: This is a tricky one. Its either a Scarf Waterspout Lead, or its a T-Wave Lead. Either way, Ludicolo is the best switch in, since it won't mind being Paralyzed and takes even Waterspout like a champ
Darkrai: I hate risking a speed tie, or just being outsped and OHKOed by Focus Blast from Scarf Darkrai. Kyogre is capable of taking anything Darkrai throws at it and can OHKO with Surf, so it is my switch in. Almost noone tries to Trick a Scarf to Darkrai, so Kyogre comes in here easily
Groudon: I usually sub first to Test the waters, while they SR or try to Status Me. If they EQ, I just Switch to Kyogre, but if they go for Status or SR, I Dark Void and if they are lummed, I then have a 64% chance to break the Lum Berry and Sleep them
Shaymin-S: Scariest Lead for Darkrai to Face IMO. Metagross resists both STABS and is capable of OHKOing with Ice Punch
Dialga: Lead Dialga is usually an SR lead, so I Dark Void to try and Stop it
Forretress: Wow, Forretress was the 8th most used Lead? Well, Dark Void quickly puts them out of commission and allows Darkrai a free Sub
Mew: Mew is 2HKOed by Dark Pulse and they are usually Lummed. Mew can at best, set up one screen
Mewtwo: Mewtwo is usually Choice Scarfed, so I switch to Scizor to eat the Aura Sphere and U-Turn out
Giratina-O: Dark Pulse will do a lot of damage to O-Tina, but I don't Dark Void because they may be Lummed Calm Minders
As it can be seen, Darkrai is able to handle most leads well, while the rest of the team provides support for those that prove too much for Darkrai. In reality, Focus Sash my help more against some leads, but its overall utility is very little. Now for the Next Member of the team
Kyogre @ Leftovers
Modest/Drizzle
240 HP/ 244 Def/ 24 Spe
-Surf
-Thunder
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
This is ripped straight from the Smogon Analysis of Rest Talk Kyogre. The EVs reach a leftovers number and give good mixed defences. I chose Surf and Thunder for the reliability, both in Terms of PP and Power, as well as giving decent coverage with just 2 moves. The 30% paralysis Thunder chance really helps neutralise some threats, such as Palkia, who often switches into Kyogre.
Even with no Special Attack Investment, Kyogre still packs quite a Fearsome Punch, not to mention gives me a great way to ruin sun based teams.
Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Calm/Rain Dish
252 HP/ 216 SpD/ 40 SpA
-Grass Knot
-Leech Seed
-Protect
-Ice Beam
Meet the best Kyogre Counter in the game, able to handle anything but Specs Thunder with Impunity, and even then, Kyogre needs some parahax to win. Ludicolo doesn't just make a great Kyogre Counter, it provides valuable team support. Leech Seed is useful for Healing and makes anything that switches into Blissey very happy.
Protect is to abuse Rain Dish, Ludicolo's lesser noticed ability in Standard. But in Ubers, its very useful, giving Ludicolo an amazing amount of HP recovery per turn, when paired with Kyogre's rain, leftovers, and Leech Seed draining HP from High HP Ubers.
I chose Ice Beam over Toxic, for the ability to punish Rayquaza who tries to set up on Ludicolo. Since usually, it'll get hit with a Leech Seed on the switch and then try to set up, I can Ice Beam and Protect for the KO
Ludicolo's good Special Defence and nice defensive typing in Ubers enable it to check many other threats. Non- Specs Palkia can often not manage too much damage, barring a Spatial Rend critical hit, and Ludicolo can often stall it out. Similar Deal for non-Specs Dialga and really anything that lacks the raw power to break it during the rain. Groudon doesn't want to switch in the ruin the fun, from the threat of STAB Grass Knot, which will do a large amount, making it easy pickings.
In addition to doing massive damage to Rayzquaza and giving good coverage in general, If Wobbuffet gets seeded on the switch, then it is possible for Ludicolo to stall out Wobb with Ice Beam, recovering off almost as all the damage from mirror coat, while Seeds and Ice Beam slowly drain Wobb.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Adamant/Technician
252 Atk/ 252 SpD/ 4 HP
-U-Turn
-Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
-Superpower
Much like in OU, Scizor is a menace in Ubers. The combination of U-Turn, Bullet Punch, Pursuit and Superpower makes it a deadly threat, making it hard to gain an advantage should Scizor get a switch in.
U-Turn is very useful in Ubers, hitting all the Psychics and Darkrai very hard, and for more often than not, a OHKO if they stay in, while obtaining a favourable match up for me. Pursuit works well with U-Turn and Max attack, KOing any Psychics that try to flee, something a 56 Attack Scizor would not accomplish, especially since I lack SR support. Bullet Punch also becomes a lot more damaging on this set, being able to 2HKO Darkrai.
Superpower is for Type Coverage, nailing Dialga very hard on the switch, which eliminates it as a threat, as it dies very easily at such low HP, despite all those nice resistances. It also hits other Steels hard, looking for an easy switch into U-Turn or Bullet Punch.
I decided to maximise Special Defence rather than speed, as most threats to Scizor are faster anyway and outspeeding no Speed Base 90s wasn't worth the lack of Special Defence. In addition, I have Groudon spreading Paralysis, with the Odd Parahax from Kyogre's Thunder.
Scizor is very important because it brings Priority to what would otherwise be a relatively slow team. It also checks major threats, such as Darkrai and Shaymin-S, with Steel Typing making it a useful intermediary for safe switches with U-Turn.
Metagross @ Choice Scarf
Jolly/Clear Body
252 Atk/ 244 Spe/ 12 HP
-Meteor Mash
-Ice Punch
-Earthquake
-Explosion
Many people say Scizor Outclasses Metagross in Ubers, due to superior typing, U-Turn and Stronger Priority. Those people are right. But here, Metagross is my revenge killer. It does a few things Scizor can't.
First, the EVs. 252 Attack EV maximizes Metagross' attack stat, allowing it to nail stuff on the switch as hard as possible. 244 Speed EVs allows Metagross to hit 390 speed with a Choice Scarf, outrunning Shaymin-S without a scarf of its own, probably making it my best check.
SD Rayquaza is a prominent threat in Ubers. Hopefully, it won't get that free SD, but if it does, Gross outspeeds and OHKOs with Ice Punch, taking relatively little from ES.
Meteor Mash is for STAB and it does a chunk to anything that doesn't resist it. If I can get an attack boost, not even Giratina will want to take this on, as it can almost be 2HKOed.
Ice Punch is for Ray and Shaymin-S as I mentioned, as well as the Latis and the Odd Sunny Day Abusers.
Earthquake gives good neutral coverage and allows me to hit Dialga fairly hard. Sadly, EQ is by best shot against Kyogre and Palkia without commiting Suicide, which is still a good option.
Once Metagross is done and I'm certain there are no ghosts around, its time to explode, hopefully removing a threat and opening up a sweep for one of my remaining pokemon.
But to be honest, Metagross is the Weak link. I'm considering replacing him with Choice Scarf Dialga, but good coverage and reliable moves, as well as Explosion, allow Metagross to hold its position on this team fairly well.
Groudon @ Leftovers
Adamant/Drought
200HP/ 112Atk/ 110Def/ 88Spe
-Thunder Wave
-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
RAWR! Behold the Rock Titan! Groudon sure does his job well on this team. This is the Paradancer set from Smogon and it works wonders.
200HP EVs gives 391, a good Number for rounding down residual damage and also give good bulk in conjunction with 110 Def. 112 EVs in Attack gives Groudon enough attack to take out major threats such as Lugia after a swords dance, though they'll need some prior damage. 88 Speed EVs allow Groudon to outrun Base 100s that do not invest in speed.
Thunder Wave is an amazing move of Groudon, enabling it to disable many threats that switch in, with Kyogre often allowing him to switch in for free on a choiced Thunder. Many common Groudon Switchins, such as Lugia and Shaymin-S, are crippled and Groudon can proceed to SD on its next free turn, with its counter crippled.
The Paralysis support in general really helps this team, such as allowing Scizor to come in on the predicted Ice/Grass attack aimed at Groudon, then U-Turn out to someone to absorb the following hit.
Groudon also gives me an answer to rain abusers, enabling me to take away their rain and paralyze them.
Conclusion
And that is my team. I know there are still some improvements to be made and I would appreciate any support and advice. I will post my team building process and my threat list later, typing up detailed RMTs is hard work you know!
Anyway, a while back, I decided to try Ubers and I ABSOLUTELY loved it.
This is the first good team I made and has gotten me to about 1540 Ubers CRE, very close to being on the ladder. without Further Ado, heres the Team
Darkrai @ Lum Berry
Timid/Bad Dreams
252 SpA/ 252 Spe/ 4 HP
-Dark Pulse
-Dark Void
-Focus Blast
-Substitute
Lead Darkrai is quite popular in the Ubers environment, both Focus Sash and Scarfed Versions. So, I invented this Darkrai to beat Both and have an alright time against others.
Timid and 252 Speed EVs ensures that Darkrai Speed Ties with other Darkrai without a Choice Scarf and Non-Scarf HP Fire Shaymin-S. Maxing SpA gives Darkrai the maximium attacking Power
Dark Pulse is for STAB and Focus Blast gives near universal coverage, with only Heracross resisting both. An 80% chance for sleep with Dark Void is simply too good to pass up.
Substitute is an interesting move on Darkrai. It blocks Status, which gives me a way to beat Lum Status leads like Lead Groudon and allow Darkrai a chance to get in a sleep something later should Sleep clause not be in effect and be up against something that likes to Spread Status. It also Scouts for Choice Users and since many players have Scizor as their best answer to Darkrai, it puts them in a compromising position, switch out their best answer to Darkrai, or break the sub with BP and risk me switching in something resistant.
As any good Lead, Darkrai needs to perform consistently against other popular leads
Deoxys-f: Switch to Groudon to eat the Superpower, then Scizor on the Ice Beam/ Grass Knot
Deoxys-e: Dark Pulse straight away to avoid getting taunted and wasting a turn. If its sashed, it will live, but Darkrai always stops more than 2 layers
Kyogre: This is a tricky one. Its either a Scarf Waterspout Lead, or its a T-Wave Lead. Either way, Ludicolo is the best switch in, since it won't mind being Paralyzed and takes even Waterspout like a champ
Darkrai: I hate risking a speed tie, or just being outsped and OHKOed by Focus Blast from Scarf Darkrai. Kyogre is capable of taking anything Darkrai throws at it and can OHKO with Surf, so it is my switch in. Almost noone tries to Trick a Scarf to Darkrai, so Kyogre comes in here easily
Groudon: I usually sub first to Test the waters, while they SR or try to Status Me. If they EQ, I just Switch to Kyogre, but if they go for Status or SR, I Dark Void and if they are lummed, I then have a 64% chance to break the Lum Berry and Sleep them
Shaymin-S: Scariest Lead for Darkrai to Face IMO. Metagross resists both STABS and is capable of OHKOing with Ice Punch
Dialga: Lead Dialga is usually an SR lead, so I Dark Void to try and Stop it
Forretress: Wow, Forretress was the 8th most used Lead? Well, Dark Void quickly puts them out of commission and allows Darkrai a free Sub
Mew: Mew is 2HKOed by Dark Pulse and they are usually Lummed. Mew can at best, set up one screen
Mewtwo: Mewtwo is usually Choice Scarfed, so I switch to Scizor to eat the Aura Sphere and U-Turn out
Giratina-O: Dark Pulse will do a lot of damage to O-Tina, but I don't Dark Void because they may be Lummed Calm Minders
As it can be seen, Darkrai is able to handle most leads well, while the rest of the team provides support for those that prove too much for Darkrai. In reality, Focus Sash my help more against some leads, but its overall utility is very little. Now for the Next Member of the team
Kyogre @ Leftovers
Modest/Drizzle
240 HP/ 244 Def/ 24 Spe
-Surf
-Thunder
-Rest
-Sleep Talk
This is ripped straight from the Smogon Analysis of Rest Talk Kyogre. The EVs reach a leftovers number and give good mixed defences. I chose Surf and Thunder for the reliability, both in Terms of PP and Power, as well as giving decent coverage with just 2 moves. The 30% paralysis Thunder chance really helps neutralise some threats, such as Palkia, who often switches into Kyogre.
Even with no Special Attack Investment, Kyogre still packs quite a Fearsome Punch, not to mention gives me a great way to ruin sun based teams.
Ludicolo @ Leftovers
Calm/Rain Dish
252 HP/ 216 SpD/ 40 SpA
-Grass Knot
-Leech Seed
-Protect
-Ice Beam
Meet the best Kyogre Counter in the game, able to handle anything but Specs Thunder with Impunity, and even then, Kyogre needs some parahax to win. Ludicolo doesn't just make a great Kyogre Counter, it provides valuable team support. Leech Seed is useful for Healing and makes anything that switches into Blissey very happy.
Protect is to abuse Rain Dish, Ludicolo's lesser noticed ability in Standard. But in Ubers, its very useful, giving Ludicolo an amazing amount of HP recovery per turn, when paired with Kyogre's rain, leftovers, and Leech Seed draining HP from High HP Ubers.
I chose Ice Beam over Toxic, for the ability to punish Rayquaza who tries to set up on Ludicolo. Since usually, it'll get hit with a Leech Seed on the switch and then try to set up, I can Ice Beam and Protect for the KO
Ludicolo's good Special Defence and nice defensive typing in Ubers enable it to check many other threats. Non- Specs Palkia can often not manage too much damage, barring a Spatial Rend critical hit, and Ludicolo can often stall it out. Similar Deal for non-Specs Dialga and really anything that lacks the raw power to break it during the rain. Groudon doesn't want to switch in the ruin the fun, from the threat of STAB Grass Knot, which will do a large amount, making it easy pickings.
In addition to doing massive damage to Rayzquaza and giving good coverage in general, If Wobbuffet gets seeded on the switch, then it is possible for Ludicolo to stall out Wobb with Ice Beam, recovering off almost as all the damage from mirror coat, while Seeds and Ice Beam slowly drain Wobb.
Scizor @ Choice Band
Adamant/Technician
252 Atk/ 252 SpD/ 4 HP
-U-Turn
-Bullet Punch
-Pursuit
-Superpower
Much like in OU, Scizor is a menace in Ubers. The combination of U-Turn, Bullet Punch, Pursuit and Superpower makes it a deadly threat, making it hard to gain an advantage should Scizor get a switch in.
U-Turn is very useful in Ubers, hitting all the Psychics and Darkrai very hard, and for more often than not, a OHKO if they stay in, while obtaining a favourable match up for me. Pursuit works well with U-Turn and Max attack, KOing any Psychics that try to flee, something a 56 Attack Scizor would not accomplish, especially since I lack SR support. Bullet Punch also becomes a lot more damaging on this set, being able to 2HKO Darkrai.
Superpower is for Type Coverage, nailing Dialga very hard on the switch, which eliminates it as a threat, as it dies very easily at such low HP, despite all those nice resistances. It also hits other Steels hard, looking for an easy switch into U-Turn or Bullet Punch.
I decided to maximise Special Defence rather than speed, as most threats to Scizor are faster anyway and outspeeding no Speed Base 90s wasn't worth the lack of Special Defence. In addition, I have Groudon spreading Paralysis, with the Odd Parahax from Kyogre's Thunder.
Scizor is very important because it brings Priority to what would otherwise be a relatively slow team. It also checks major threats, such as Darkrai and Shaymin-S, with Steel Typing making it a useful intermediary for safe switches with U-Turn.
Metagross @ Choice Scarf
Jolly/Clear Body
252 Atk/ 244 Spe/ 12 HP
-Meteor Mash
-Ice Punch
-Earthquake
-Explosion
Many people say Scizor Outclasses Metagross in Ubers, due to superior typing, U-Turn and Stronger Priority. Those people are right. But here, Metagross is my revenge killer. It does a few things Scizor can't.
First, the EVs. 252 Attack EV maximizes Metagross' attack stat, allowing it to nail stuff on the switch as hard as possible. 244 Speed EVs allows Metagross to hit 390 speed with a Choice Scarf, outrunning Shaymin-S without a scarf of its own, probably making it my best check.
SD Rayquaza is a prominent threat in Ubers. Hopefully, it won't get that free SD, but if it does, Gross outspeeds and OHKOs with Ice Punch, taking relatively little from ES.
Meteor Mash is for STAB and it does a chunk to anything that doesn't resist it. If I can get an attack boost, not even Giratina will want to take this on, as it can almost be 2HKOed.
Ice Punch is for Ray and Shaymin-S as I mentioned, as well as the Latis and the Odd Sunny Day Abusers.
Earthquake gives good neutral coverage and allows me to hit Dialga fairly hard. Sadly, EQ is by best shot against Kyogre and Palkia without commiting Suicide, which is still a good option.
Once Metagross is done and I'm certain there are no ghosts around, its time to explode, hopefully removing a threat and opening up a sweep for one of my remaining pokemon.
But to be honest, Metagross is the Weak link. I'm considering replacing him with Choice Scarf Dialga, but good coverage and reliable moves, as well as Explosion, allow Metagross to hold its position on this team fairly well.
Groudon @ Leftovers
Adamant/Drought
200HP/ 112Atk/ 110Def/ 88Spe
-Thunder Wave
-Swords Dance
-Earthquake
-Stone Edge
RAWR! Behold the Rock Titan! Groudon sure does his job well on this team. This is the Paradancer set from Smogon and it works wonders.
200HP EVs gives 391, a good Number for rounding down residual damage and also give good bulk in conjunction with 110 Def. 112 EVs in Attack gives Groudon enough attack to take out major threats such as Lugia after a swords dance, though they'll need some prior damage. 88 Speed EVs allow Groudon to outrun Base 100s that do not invest in speed.
Thunder Wave is an amazing move of Groudon, enabling it to disable many threats that switch in, with Kyogre often allowing him to switch in for free on a choiced Thunder. Many common Groudon Switchins, such as Lugia and Shaymin-S, are crippled and Groudon can proceed to SD on its next free turn, with its counter crippled.
The Paralysis support in general really helps this team, such as allowing Scizor to come in on the predicted Ice/Grass attack aimed at Groudon, then U-Turn out to someone to absorb the following hit.
Groudon also gives me an answer to rain abusers, enabling me to take away their rain and paralyze them.
Conclusion
And that is my team. I know there are still some improvements to be made and I would appreciate any support and advice. I will post my team building process and my threat list later, typing up detailed RMTs is hard work you know!
