Truly, Truly Ourageous (a balanced UU team)

[Derpness]

Truly, Truly Outrageous

Introduction:​

I've been out of the game for awhile, while I battled almost non-stop about a year ago, my state in competitive battling for a long time now had been largely limited to challenge cup and random battles, along with occasionally making an immensely gimmicky team that always ended up failing miserably. However, a little while ago I decided to take more interest in Pokemon (specifically when the League of Legends servers were down for about a week). I thought I was ready to sit down and make a nice, strong standard team, though I was daunted by the thought of joining the OU metagame right off the bat so I decided to start in NU. It went great, I started off 13-0-0 climbing to 20th on the Showdown ladders in a matter of 2 sittings. And then I came home one day, sat down ready to go and found out Quagsire had been banned. I remade my team and promptly lost 17 straight games. Angry, I returned to League, but shortly after went on a 8 game losing streak and, cursing my solo-queue teammates, returned to Pokemon. With NU out of the question, I decided to take 2 steps up all the way to UU and once again sat down to make a nice, standard team. I failed, in a way, as this team definitely had its quirks, but none the less has started 8-0-0 on the ladder erasing my previous 0-8-0 score in UU and bringing me to .500. However, I still know very little about the UU meta, so I come to you, Smogon, to teach me and help me fix any apparent weaknesses my team has.

The Boys in Action

[youtube]csphCjBGOVE[/youtube]​

Team Building Process

Team Building Process​

Apparently Sap Sipper Azumarill was Fizzy Stardust's idea, but the set I made I came up with all by my self, sorta on the spot. I thought that it would be a great defensive partner for Swampert as they are immune to each other's weaknesses. Also unlike, say, E-Vire and Gyrados, where Vire protects Gyrados, because no one wants to use an Electric move with Vire around as opposed to Gyrados giving Vire switch-ins, this relationship works the other way around, because no-one expects defensive Sap Sipper Azumarill

When I make a team, what I try to do is have 4 defensive pokes and 2 pokes as clean-up sweepers when the dirty work is done, I knew that Victini was going to be one of these two, the sheer power he provides, along with immunity to burn means he can end the game FAST

Lol I made a Fire, Water, Grass core without even realizing it, I added Roserade to give my team some more entry hazards but the above reason works too, though I didn't realize it at the time

I needed a Spinblocker to support my hazards and there really isn't a much better spinblocker than Sableye, Shandera was the other possible option but my team already had a high damage Fire type, meaning that adding a Shandera would allow a Flash Fire poke to shut me down late game

I needed a spinner to support Victini and another late game sweeper, the only poke that I could find to fulfill both roles was Hitmonlee, despite being an RU its proved itself well, in my first game it practically 6-0ed a team by itself

DA BEST MOVE (Gligar) @ Eviloite
Trait: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 HP
Impish Nature
- Earthquake
- Stealth Rock
- Roost
- Taunt

Gligar does an excellent job of keeping the threatening Fighting types of UU from doing damage. His absurd physical bulk allows him to Roost stall them indefinitely if they are statused or Life Orb and he never fails to get rocks up. Since him addition he has been a stalwart member of my team and seemingly the glue that holds them together, as losing Gligar often causes things to go steeply downhill. As he is often my lead Taunt is a nice little surprise as if the opponent does not predict it (which happens often) it can give me a free turn to set up rocks.

King Koopa (Blastoise) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 120 SDef / 136 Def
Calm Nature
- Scald
- Rapid Spin
- Toxic
- Roar

Blastoise is a very solid spinner and with his excellent defenses and defensive typing he can switch into many potent threats. Due to his defensive capabilities he is often forcing switches, resulting in a free Toxic. Roar is obviously extremely helpful for setup sweepers. He provides excellent utility and a good defensive presence, overall, a good addition to my team.

Overkill (Victini) @ Choice Band
Trait: Victory Star
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Spd / 252 Atk
Adamant Nature
- V-create
- Fusion Bolt
- U-turn
- Zen Headbutt

The job of the rest of my team is essentially to weaken the enemy team down to the point where Victini can OHKO everything and provide it with a safe switch in. Once the game reaches that point though, 90% of the time it's GG, because this thing is a monster. V-Create is what makes this thing famous, it KOs lots of important threats right away provided I can get a safe switch seeing as its a 270 base power move coming off a 252/Adamant Banded 100 base attack mon. Fusion Bolt and Zen Headbutt provide pretty safe, reliable, damage, U-turn is U-turn and U-turn is good. I chose banded over scarfed simply because while the prediction required to use it is higher so is the return, as Scarftini isn't OHKOing as much as Bandtini is.

Max Hazard (Roserade) @ Leftovers
Trait: Natural Cure
EVs: 252 HP / 136 Def / 120 SDef
Calm Nature
- Sludge Bomb
- Rest
- Giga Drain
- Spikes

Completely standard spikes set, I found out the double hazard/Sleep Powder set I was running before was illegal
due to a conjunction of Spikes and Sleep Powder, however I assume that this set will do its job of getting down Spikes admirably, though the loss of Sleep Powder hurts.

Gems are outrageous (Sableye) @ Leftovers
Trait: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Spd / 132 SDef / 120 Def
Careful Nature
- Recover
- Will-O-Wisp
- Taunt
- Night Shade

Sableye's prowess for spinblocking is matched seemingly only by his prowess for stalling and pissing people off. Once he gets a Will-o-wisp off, just sitting there and using a combination of Recover and Night Shade to slowly kill off members of the enemy team is oh-so satisfying. Having a Taunt also lets me shutdown pokes like Umbreon and with Will-O-Wisp he can shutdown physical attackers making him an extremely useful poke. (4 speed EVs to outspeed other standard Sableye btw)

Fashion Conscious (Heracross) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit

The most tentative addition to my team he hasn't really been all that helpful, as I've found him to simply not deal enough damage. He's a good revenge killer for sure and after a boost or two he's pretty threatening but Close Combat spamming means that he's very vulnerable to other scarfers right when he starts getting strong and Megahorn simply doesn't have the neutral coverage to sweep with. While he's not been awful he's the team member I'm most keen to replace and I'm very open to suggestions in the realm of a revenge killer.


Nothing much else to say, just provide constructive criticisms, if you have found any EV spreads that work better than the standard Smogon sets than please recommend them as I using standard EVs on 4 (not counting Sableye though he's practically the same) of my guys. Thanks in advance!

 

[Psychotic]

Pretty cool team, but there are a few small changes that could be made to improve this team dramatically. First of all, this team is eaten alive by Scarf Heracross, who 6-0's your team without even trying. Therefore, I would recommend replacing Swampert with Gligar, who can tank physical attacks all day and set up Stealth Rock.

Gligar (F) @ Eviolite Trait: Immunity
EVs: 252 HP / 248 Def / 8 Spd
Impish Nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Taunt
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Roost

Your team is also in desperate need of a revenge killer, and Rapid Spin really shouldn't be a priority for this team, so I would recommend replacing Hitmonlee with Scarf Heracross. This change gives you a great revenge killer capable of beating dangerous threats such as Raikou and Scrafty. Heracross also functions as a cleaner at the end of games, getting an attack boost after every kill.

Heracross (F) @ Choice Scarf Trait: Moxie
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Megahorn
- Close Combat
- Stone Edge
- Pursuit

The last change I would recommend is for you to scrap the current Azumarill set and instead use a Sub+Focus Punch set. This allows you to still stall with Toxic while dishing out huge damage to the bulky waters, most of whom fail to break your sub. This is the Azumarill set:

Azumarill (M) @ Leftovers Trait: Huge Power
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Focus Punch
- Ice Punch
- Aqua Jet

Lastly, Roserade's moveset is illegal, Spikes and Sleep Powder cannot be used on the same set, even though PS currently hasn't fixed this. Use Sludge Bomb over Sleep Powder.

 

[Derpness]

Thanks for the rate bro, I'll definitely test those Gligar and Heracross sets. As for the Azumarill set, I'd much rather just have a spinner, I feel like Victini is always the most important part of my team and leaving him without spin support is just leaving him dead in the water (or Stealth Rocks i guess). I'm thinking either Blastoise or Cryogonal. On the Roserade issue, I'll probably just remove Tspikes in that case and go for the full standard Spikes set and put Toxic on whichever spinner I add. Thoughts?

EDIT: Well, all the simulators are currently down so testing those sets is going to be diffucult. fml.

 

[uxsee]

I would suggest putting in a Blastoise with this set as your spinner:

Blastoise (F) @ Leftovers
Trait: Torrent
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SAtk / 252 SDef
Calm Nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Scald
- Roar
- Toxic

It's a really good special tank that help u take on Chandelure better (which you team was kind of weak to) and has good synergy with Gligar and Roserade.

 

[Derpness]

Yeah, thats pretty much the exact Blastoise I tested, except I ran mixed defence EVs and just put max SDef on Roserade. The team felt good with this composition only the instant Gligar died I seemed to start losing right away. Both Gligar and Heracross have been excellent, though I thought Heracross would hit substantially harder. As such I kinda want to switch Heracross for a poke that uses banded priority or a fast Life Orb user, recommendations? I'll edit the OP to include the team changes later as I'm currently in a rush.

 

[WaterBomb]

Just a minor typographical note, but you make several references to Toxic Spikes in your team when none of your pokemon actually carry the move. I don't know if you planned to run T-Spikes over Spikes on Roserade, but it currently only has regular Spikes. Might want to edit your descriptions a bit to reflect this because it is a slight change in strategy.

 

[Psychotic]

You could try SD Bisharp over Heracross, who works exceptionally well with Gligar, Sableye, and Blastoise, since its Fire, Fighting, and Ground weaknesses are all covered. It also gives you some insurance against Specs Chandelure who is a pretty huge threat to your team curently. While it adds an awesome ghost resistance, I am not sure how well Bisharp will fare in a metagame infested with powerful fighting attacks, but it is worth a try since all of the new and improved fighting mons are countered by the rest of your team. Here is the Bisharp set I would recommend trying:

Bisharp (F) @ Leftovers Trait: Defiant
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Substitute
- Sucker Punch
- Iron Head
- Swords Dance

And to be quite honest, a spinner is not as important as a Chandelure check, which is why I think Azumarill is the way to go. The team in its current form is 6-0'd by Specs Chandelure, who 1-2HKOs everything on the team and can simply switch out of Blastoise.

 

[Derpness]

In terms of Chandelure do you think that switching Victini with a Flash Fire Banded Arcanine would solve my problem? I'll have to run a calc but he probably KOs Chandelure with Wild Charge after SR and he's faster. He also gives me priority, something I just realized that I'm lacking. The only problem with him being that his damage just isn't on the same level as Victini's (and he's not quite as fast). I know you think that I'll be fine without a spinner but I just feel that my team is always really low without one. Also, I'll give Bisharp a try. Thoughts?

 

[Cesterp]

Specs Chandelure isn't a problem. Chandelure is as slow as anything, and it isn't exactly bulky, either. It'll be outsped by all your attackers and 2HKO'd by neutral damage. Not to mention specs. Fire Blast on Heracross? Switch to a resist. Energy Ball on Blastoise? Switch to a resist. Whatever move it throws at you, you've got two things that resist it and can get a turn of free damage off. Scarfed Chandelure would be more of a problem, but it doesn't deal out too much damage and will be taken down easily.

Even though I just typed a paragraph about how Chandelure isn't a huge threat, switching Victini for a Flash Fire Arcanine is always a great idea. You can never have enough priority, and Arcanine has a base attack 10 higher than Victini. It also provides great support for Roserade, and you can switch on a fire attack or you opponent could overpredict and try and hit Arcanine, leaving Roserade unscathed. However, Life Orb makes more sense on Arcanine unless you intend to wish pass, as Flare Blitzes and Wild Charges really rack up damage, and you won't run Morning Sun on a choice set.

Keep your spinner, your team doesn't have enough offensive pressure to prevent them from ever setting up hazards. Bisharp doesn't really work as well with your team as Heracross, but it can also be more devastating if you can set it up just right. That one really depends on which you like playing with more and probably which tests better. Other than that, just test it and keep a tally of what sweeps you and why.

 

[Psychotic]

Chandelure gets a free switch in on 4 mons on your team: Sableye, Roserade, Choice locked Heracross, and Choice locked Victini. Cesterp says your team is not weak to it, but when it 1-2HKO's your entire team with one move, it doesn't have to predict at all, no matter what it does something dies. Let me show you some calcs, and if this doesn't convince you that you are Chandelure weak then I don't know what will.

Shadow Ball vs 252/120 Blastoise: 199-235 (54.97 - 64.91%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Shadow ball vs 252/0 Gligar: 220-261 (65.86 - 78.14%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Shadow Ball vs 4/0 Heracross: 244-288 (80.79 - 95.36%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Shadow Ball vs 252/120 Roserade: 178-211 (54.93 - 65.12%) -- guaranteed 2HKO
Shadow Ball vs 4/0 Victini: 468-552 (137.24 - 161.87%) -- guaranteed OHKO
Shadow Ball vs 252/132 Sableye: 250-294 (82.23 - 96.71%) -- guaranteed 2HKO

Specs Chandelure isn't a problem. Chandelure is as slow as anything, and it isn't exactly bulky, either. It'll be outsped by all your attackers and 2HKO'd by neutral damage. Not to mention specs. Fire Blast on Heracross? Switch to a resist. Energy Ball on Blastoise? Switch to a resist. Whatever move it throws at you, you've got two things that resist it and can get a turn of free damage off. Scarfed Chandelure would be more of a problem, but it doesn't deal out too much damage and will be taken down easily.

Your entire argument is that Chandelure will have to predict to beat you, but this is simply not true when a single move 2HKO's the entire team, only two mons can outspeed it, and only 1 of those can 1HKO it. If you predict wrong with Pursuit on Heracross, it is basically gg because Chandelure picks apart your team one mon at a time.

 

[Derpness]

Aight, because PS was down last night I went over to the PO beta server, where I found out that Roserade was banned in UU. Determined to play I just threw a completely standard Togekiss on my team. It did some major work and when I ran into Chandelure it could safely switch into it, as long as I predicted right (Fire Blast is still a 2HKO). It also did a great job of spreading status and could paraflinch for days. I understand that Spikes is an important part of the UU metagame but I think that Togekiss might be a better choice for me. On another note, if I do this there is no way I can lose my spinner as keeping Togekiss healthy would be of the utmost importance. Thoughts?

 

[Cesterp]

My entire argument is that if you predict correctly, Chandelure isn't a problem. In a worst case scenario, you fodder something and switch in Blastoise, which forces a switch. Not to mention, Stealth Rocks can really ruin a Chandelure.

On the other hand, Togekiss does work, and most teams are normally beyond prepared for Roserade, anyway. Plus, it does give you the ever important super-solid Chandelure counter. It's great against teams that are unprepared for it, and can really set up for a sweeper.

And Arcanine is still an awesome idea.

 

[ss234]

My entire argument is that if you predict correctly, Chandelure isn't a problem. In a worst case scenario, you fodder something and switch in Blastoise, which forces a switch. Not to mention, Stealth Rocks can really ruin a Chandelure.

On the other hand, Togekiss does work, and most teams are normally beyond prepared for Roserade, anyway. Plus, it does give you the ever important super-solid Chandelure counter. It's great against teams that are unprepared for it, and can really set up for a sweeper.

And Arcanine is still an awesome idea.

Did you not read PsYch0171c's post? Chandelure can 2HKO the entire team with Shadow Ball and gets a free switch-in on four members of the team. If you can't deal with the second biggest threat in the game, then you are not going to succeed-simple as. Arcanine isn't going to help at all, since the only move Chandelure has to use is Shadow Ball, which does 74% or more so that's definitely out. If a team is using Chandelure they should probably be using a spinner like Blastoise to lure in Roserade, and get rid of Stealth Rock's and beat every spinblocker in the metagame when played properly.

So what you need is a Pokemon that can hard counter Chandelure. Snorlax would be a great addition to the team-luring in powerful fighting types for Heracross/Sableye to either revenge kill or burn, and forms a great defensive core with Gligar who can take on Heracross. I just can't think of who to put him over though-since all of them have a crucial role. It seems like a very stallish team at the moment with Spikes and a spinblocker, so I'd replace Victini. A wallbreaker isn't needed, and Heracross serves as a late-game sweeper and and cleaner after Spikes and SR take their toll.

GL