So I’ve been dabbling in and out of the Ubers metagame for nearly a year or so now, usually making new accounts in order to stay near the bottom of the ladder (I enjoy watching the strategies attempted by newer players). Recently however, a group of friends and I decided it would be an interesting idea to have a tournament in which only ONE Uber is allowed per team, with the rest coming from OU and below. So I built the team and started training with it on Showdown (as you do), and I was absolutely shocked by its effectiveness. Within the course of a day I managed to shoot up to rank 98 on the Ubers leaderboard, and stay hovering there (moving up and down around 20 places) for a considerable amount of time. Rather dazzled by its success, I’ve decided to post the team that I used here, in the hope that I can get an explanation as to how such a team reliably managed to stand toe-to-toe with the Giants of the pokemon world.
Kairi (Diancie-Mega) @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magnet Rise
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect
Mega Diancie has had, and always will have, a special place in my heart (and teams) ever since I first fell in love with both its design and utility. Im sure the first thing you’re thinking is “why the hell is that Diancie running Magnet Rise?!?”. The magnet rise Diancie is my teams’ answer to the omnipresent Primal Groudon, granting it full immunity to PB and EQ in the turns it is active. This then allows Diancie to 2HKO the Don with a SE Earth Power, or even an Earth Power followed by Moonblast (given any player with half a brain will switch out after eating that first EP). EP also allows Diancie to OHKO Aegislash in sword forme, although this requires fancy prediction by Protecting after their first attack (most Aegislash Swords Dance the first turn expecting a switch, in which case you can get some prior damage onto its Shield forme). Max speed allows Diancie to speed tie with the lati twins, max SpA allowing it to OHKO all dragons not named Dialga or soul dew lati with Moon Blast, and Earth Power badly damaging anything that resists Moonblast (apart from Ho Oh). A noticeable drawback is that the lack of Diamond Storm means it cant hit Ho Oh reliably, usually becoming setup fodder for sub sets (well, fodder for any who are too brave, smart [if all moves have been revealed] or stupid to risk the storm). Magic Bounce also lets it serve as an effective anti Sableye, Darkrai, Deoxys S/D and Lugia, although it cant do much in terms of damage to the last one, the blow is usually dealt in the form of Bouncing back a predicted Toxic.
Me Too! (Ditto) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Transform
Oh my sweet little Imposter Ditto, the number of threats laying at your feet are too numerous to count. Ditto is my primary switch-in to Mewtwo forms which otherwise threaten this team badly, usually tanking a hit to retaliate with a strong (whatever their moveset is xD), before sacrificing itself in the worst cases to allow Gengar to sweep the weakened kitty left over. It also functions to prevent an increasingly popular skill-swap Deoxys-S set from setting up after stealing Diancies’ MB, imposter copying the stolen MB to bounce back the subsequent spikes/rocks, before switching back to Diancie to let it finish off Deoxys without any more fear.
Smealum (Smeargle) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spore
- Shift Gear
- Baton Pass
- Protect
Self explanatory really. Usually left until mid to late game after threats have been dealt with, paving the way for a boosted Hades finisher. Greatly appreciates the absence of entry hazards however, as it's rather useless without a sash. That being said, it can still switch into slow Groudon sets to set up a spore and Shift Gear, provided any priority user is taken care of.
Hades (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
The moment I heard that only one Uber would be allowed, I knew that I Pdon would be the one to choose. I went for a four attacking moveset as it will usually be sent in for early game damage control, before taking the back seat until a late game sweep is secured. The first three moves are self explanatory, with Dragon Claw providing coverage over things such as the Latis’ and Mega-Mence which would otherwise resist any boosted attack.
Riku (Gengar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond
- Taunt
Gengar’s main purpose in life is to die. Literally. With max speed and choice scarf it can outspeed the likes of Rock Polish Groudon and Extremekiller Arceus, removing them with Destiny Bond and clearing the path for my own sweep. As already stated it also functions to finish off weakened Mewtwos with shadow ball (they never switch out since they think they’ll outspeed). Sludge wave is kind of obligatory, OHKOing Skymin and dealing substantial damage to Xerneas (although Xerneas is never a problem for this team, see below for why), also dealing good chip damage to arceus forms that cant hit it with any attacks, but stay in anyway for some reason (it happens..). Taunt is just kinda there, after the first three attacks the final slot was pretty redundant, so I chucked Taunt in there JIC (it’s rarely used).
Satan (Whimsicott) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Whimsicott the Legend. Whimsicott the MVP. Whimsicott the Uber Killer. Whimsicott the Xerneas-and-anything-else-without-taunt-and-not-grass-type-Slayer! Whimsicott in itself is in my opinion, one of the undiscovered gems that needs more use in the Ubers metagame, single-handedly saving this team from stall, hyper offense, basically any team not equipped to handle it. However, its main utility comes in the form of being a 100% check/counter/wall/whateveryouwanttocallit to every Geomancy Xerneas under the sun. The moment the blue deer is sent in, Whimsicott should immediately be sent in, as Xerneas is certain to Geomancy seeing as how this team (it would look like) has no decent counter to it. However, they soon realise how wrong they were when suddenly their precious sweeper has been Encored into Geomancy, and is now having its life sucked away by the Substituted fluff ball. Once a substitute has been set up Whimsicott can outlive anything that tries to switch in, even extremekiller (as long as leech seed doesn’t miss) and kill them with residual damage (just sub on the same turn they espeed). The strategy works on any mon likely to set up (DD mence, Darkrai if Diancie’s dead, etc), and as stated before, can deal with any mon under the sun provided grass types, taunters and magic guard/bouncers are dealt with. If anything is running recovery, lock them into it then switch to Smeargle for a free setup turn. Did I mention it can survive a modest primal Kyogre Ice Beam and an adamant Life Orb Extremekiller espeed?
There’s a reason I called it Satan, I wholeheartedly support this UU mons’ use in a metagame where its checks and counters are few and far between (taunt seems much more sparse here), and can reliably take down some of the most potent threats it has to offer.
I’ve attached some replays of the team in action, just so you can see that im not all talk and no act, as many teams seem viable on paper, but then get trashed irl):
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ubers-286955241
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ubers-287210701
I’d appreciate any comments!
Importable:
Kairi (Diancie-Mega) @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magnet Rise
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect
Mega Diancie has had, and always will have, a special place in my heart (and teams) ever since I first fell in love with both its design and utility. Im sure the first thing you’re thinking is “why the hell is that Diancie running Magnet Rise?!?”. The magnet rise Diancie is my teams’ answer to the omnipresent Primal Groudon, granting it full immunity to PB and EQ in the turns it is active. This then allows Diancie to 2HKO the Don with a SE Earth Power, or even an Earth Power followed by Moonblast (given any player with half a brain will switch out after eating that first EP). EP also allows Diancie to OHKO Aegislash in sword forme, although this requires fancy prediction by Protecting after their first attack (most Aegislash Swords Dance the first turn expecting a switch, in which case you can get some prior damage onto its Shield forme). Max speed allows Diancie to speed tie with the lati twins, max SpA allowing it to OHKO all dragons not named Dialga or soul dew lati with Moon Blast, and Earth Power badly damaging anything that resists Moonblast (apart from Ho Oh). A noticeable drawback is that the lack of Diamond Storm means it cant hit Ho Oh reliably, usually becoming setup fodder for sub sets (well, fodder for any who are too brave, smart [if all moves have been revealed] or stupid to risk the storm). Magic Bounce also lets it serve as an effective anti Sableye, Darkrai, Deoxys S/D and Lugia, although it cant do much in terms of damage to the last one, the blow is usually dealt in the form of Bouncing back a predicted Toxic.
Me Too! (Ditto) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Transform
Oh my sweet little Imposter Ditto, the number of threats laying at your feet are too numerous to count. Ditto is my primary switch-in to Mewtwo forms which otherwise threaten this team badly, usually tanking a hit to retaliate with a strong (whatever their moveset is xD), before sacrificing itself in the worst cases to allow Gengar to sweep the weakened kitty left over. It also functions to prevent an increasingly popular skill-swap Deoxys-S set from setting up after stealing Diancies’ MB, imposter copying the stolen MB to bounce back the subsequent spikes/rocks, before switching back to Diancie to let it finish off Deoxys without any more fear.
Smealum (Smeargle) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spore
- Shift Gear
- Baton Pass
- Protect
Self explanatory really. Usually left until mid to late game after threats have been dealt with, paving the way for a boosted Hades finisher. Greatly appreciates the absence of entry hazards however, as it's rather useless without a sash. That being said, it can still switch into slow Groudon sets to set up a spore and Shift Gear, provided any priority user is taken care of.
Hades (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
The moment I heard that only one Uber would be allowed, I knew that I Pdon would be the one to choose. I went for a four attacking moveset as it will usually be sent in for early game damage control, before taking the back seat until a late game sweep is secured. The first three moves are self explanatory, with Dragon Claw providing coverage over things such as the Latis’ and Mega-Mence which would otherwise resist any boosted attack.
Riku (Gengar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond
- Taunt
Gengar’s main purpose in life is to die. Literally. With max speed and choice scarf it can outspeed the likes of Rock Polish Groudon and Extremekiller Arceus, removing them with Destiny Bond and clearing the path for my own sweep. As already stated it also functions to finish off weakened Mewtwos with shadow ball (they never switch out since they think they’ll outspeed). Sludge wave is kind of obligatory, OHKOing Skymin and dealing substantial damage to Xerneas (although Xerneas is never a problem for this team, see below for why), also dealing good chip damage to arceus forms that cant hit it with any attacks, but stay in anyway for some reason (it happens..). Taunt is just kinda there, after the first three attacks the final slot was pretty redundant, so I chucked Taunt in there JIC (it’s rarely used).
Satan (Whimsicott) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Whimsicott the Legend. Whimsicott the MVP. Whimsicott the Uber Killer. Whimsicott the Xerneas-and-anything-else-without-taunt-and-not-grass-type-Slayer! Whimsicott in itself is in my opinion, one of the undiscovered gems that needs more use in the Ubers metagame, single-handedly saving this team from stall, hyper offense, basically any team not equipped to handle it. However, its main utility comes in the form of being a 100% check/counter/wall/whateveryouwanttocallit to every Geomancy Xerneas under the sun. The moment the blue deer is sent in, Whimsicott should immediately be sent in, as Xerneas is certain to Geomancy seeing as how this team (it would look like) has no decent counter to it. However, they soon realise how wrong they were when suddenly their precious sweeper has been Encored into Geomancy, and is now having its life sucked away by the Substituted fluff ball. Once a substitute has been set up Whimsicott can outlive anything that tries to switch in, even extremekiller (as long as leech seed doesn’t miss) and kill them with residual damage (just sub on the same turn they espeed). The strategy works on any mon likely to set up (DD mence, Darkrai if Diancie’s dead, etc), and as stated before, can deal with any mon under the sun provided grass types, taunters and magic guard/bouncers are dealt with. If anything is running recovery, lock them into it then switch to Smeargle for a free setup turn. Did I mention it can survive a modest primal Kyogre Ice Beam and an adamant Life Orb Extremekiller espeed?
There’s a reason I called it Satan, I wholeheartedly support this UU mons’ use in a metagame where its checks and counters are few and far between (taunt seems much more sparse here), and can reliably take down some of the most potent threats it has to offer.
I’ve attached some replays of the team in action, just so you can see that im not all talk and no act, as many teams seem viable on paper, but then get trashed irl):
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ubers-286955241
http://replay.pokemonshowdown.com/ubers-287210701
I’d appreciate any comments!
Importable:
Kairi (Diancie-Mega) @ Diancite
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magnet Rise
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect
Me Too! (Ditto) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Transform
Smealum (Smeargle) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spore
- Shift Gear
- Baton Pass
- Protect
Hades (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
Shadow (Gengar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond
- Taunt
Satan (Whimsicott) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Ability: Magic Bounce
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Magnet Rise
- Moonblast
- Earth Power
- Protect
Me Too! (Ditto) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Imposter
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Transform
Smealum (Smeargle) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Own Tempo
EVs: 252 HP / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Spore
- Shift Gear
- Baton Pass
- Protect
Hades (Groudon-Primal) @ Red Orb
Ability: Desolate Land
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Fire Punch
- Dragon Claw
Shadow (Gengar) @ Choice Scarf
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Shadow Ball
- Sludge Wave
- Destiny Bond
- Taunt
Satan (Whimsicott) @ Leftovers
Ability: Prankster
EVs: 252 HP / 252 SpD / 4 Spe
Bold Nature
- Encore
- Substitute
- Leech Seed
- Protect
Importable
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