UU Team about to make run at ladder

Luphrous

Wanted to make a RMT for my team, but couldn't really think of a title so just went with that lol. Anyways, my team has gone through many stages, and is definitely nearly completed, though of course still not perfect. Keep in mind this is a Stall team(And the original one, I've been running this since way before Steelix/Weezing turned lots of people to stall <_<) Oh, and please, Do not suggest I remove Toxic Spikes. Yes, I know, lots of grounded poisons. However in my experience, they work, and I intend to keep them. I also ask that you read below the team, because I list what I want help with(I'm of course open to suggestions on other things). Anyways, onto the Team.
036clefable.png
031nidoqueen.png
470leafeon.png
144articuno.png
009blastoise.png
319sharpedo.png


036clefable.png
@Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 180 HP, 76 Def, 252 Sp. Def
Nature: Calm
- Wish
- Protect
- Facade
- Stealth Rock
Clefable actually works quite well as a lead. Protect on turn one beats out sleep leads. Wish support is always nice, and SR is a must for my team. Clefable is more of a necessary evil, if I could find a good replacement I wouldn't mind the switch, but a Status absorber(mostly for sleep though) and SR'er in one is just too hard to come by. EV's are geared to take on Special hits better, mostly because Articuno and Blastoise are weak to Electric, so Clefable has to be able to take repeated Thunderbolts.
031nidoqueen.png
@Leftovers
Ability: Poison Point
EVs: 252 HP, 252 Def, 4 Spd
Nature: Impish
- Earthquake
- Rock Slide
- Toxic Spikes
- Toxic
Nidoqueen really is a very helpful poke. Takes on fighting types with ease, and Wish support allows her to do it time and time again. Rock Slide over SE because it's my best bet to take out Scyther, so I can't afford a miss. Toxic to punish Spinners like Claydol and Blastoise who love switching in on Nidoqueen thinking it can't do anything back. Wish there was more to be said, but basically Nidoqueen is consistently solid for me.
470leafeon.png
@Leftovers
Ability: Leaf Guard
EVs: 252 HP, 240 Def, 16 Spd
Nature: Impish
- Leaf Blade
- Wish
- Roar
- Protect
Ah, Leafeon. This thing is one heck of a wall. Takes attacks like a champ, gives my team plenty of Wish support, and can shuffle very well. Nidoqueen and Leafeon form a wonderful combo, there's just very little Physical attackers can do to get past them. As for the EV's, I know the Speed is to outrun something, but I made that change so long ago I've forgotten what it was for. Same as Nidoqueen, Leafeon is consistently solid for me.
144articuno.png
@Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP, 68 Def, 60 Spd, 128 Sp. Def
Nature: Calm
- Ice Beam
- Roost
- Roar
- Heal Bell
Articuno is an incredible defensive force. Takes hits from both sides incredibly well, and can Roost them off like nothing. Ice Beam for STAB, Roar for more Shuffling, and Heal Bell rids my team of unwanted status. Heal Bell also makes Rest on Blastoise much more viable. EV's look random, but the Speed allows me to outrun Mixed Nidoking, a huge threat to any team. I can also assure you the the SR weakness is yet to be a problem. 128 EVs in Sp. Def turns Rotom's T-Bolt into a 3HKO.
009blastoise.png
@Leftovers
Ability: Torrent
EV's: 252 HP, 252 Sp. Def, 4 Def
Nature: Calm
- Surf
- Rapid Spin
- Haze
- Rest
Blastoise serves as a Special wall, and my obligatory Spinner with Articuno. Blastoise is always a good Spinner, and can take a beating from the Special side too. Rest keeps Blastoise alive, and allows it to safely spin away T-Spikes. Articuno's Heal Bell allows Blastoise to use Rest very well, which is important because if Blastoise falls, Articuno's life gets much harder. I've considered moving some EV's to Defense, because as it is Articuno takes Special hits better, but I'm not sure. Despite the fact I've not seen one in weeks, Rain Dance teams scare me to death. I think a well played RD Team can be the scariest thing in UU. Hence why I need Blastoise to take a beating from their Special Attackers, Omastar and Gorebyss.
319sharpedo.png
@Choice Band
Ability: Rough Skin
EV's: 252 Att, 252 Spd, 4 HP
Nature: Jolly
- Crunch
- Waterfall
- Earthquake
- Aqua Jet
Sharpedo is here to ravage weakened teams(and cause it's cool). Sharpedo has good coverage, and can revenge kill weakened pokes that are troubling me with Aqua Jet. STAB Crunch punishes teams without a Defensive Dark resist. Sharpedo is also important as it gives me the ability to change my strategy midgame from 'Stall' to 'get Sharpedo in and kill stuff' in case something goes wrong, be it an untimely crit or a surprise set. Sharpedo really has allowed me to turn the tables on games that look lost, and has overall done its job perfectly.

Overall: The team functions well and is certainly capable of lasting. Leafeon and Nidoqueen form a Physical partnership, while Articuno and Blastoise form a Special one. Clefable is mixed, but due to Articuno's and Blastoise's Electric weakness, I'm considering going Special. Also note that 2 roarers and a Hazer may seem like a lot, but Early and Mid game Articuno and Leafeon handle the phazing, but Haze is needed to take on Last-Poke-Stat-Uppers(Hi Cosmic Power Clefable).

Where help is wanted:
1. Lanturn/Hypno > Clefable + SR > Protect on Nidoqueen? I'm willing to replace Clefable. It's the frailest of my walls, and at times has trouble getting in. However, it gets the Rocks down, and gives me Status protection(mainly sleep though). The problem is I can find no Sleep absorbers with SR other than Clefable. I could give SR to Nidoqueen, however I'm not so sure putting all my eggs in one basket is the smartest thing to do. I also don't like that Nidoqueen loses to common spinners like Blastoise and Claydol. Hypno is immune to Sleep and offers Wish support.l. Lanturn resists BoltBeam(which I'm weak to) and can take Blastoise's place as Special wall, allowing me to even out Blastoises Defenses, however Lanturn would have to be a RestTalker, which means it could be rather unhelpful at times. Both Hypno and Lanturn would likely die in the process of taking out Ninetales, but honestly I'm fine with that. But my biggest fear is giving Nidoqueen both SR and TS, and then losing it to some random crit early game...Opinions on this would be very much appreciated.
EDIT: Grumpig? Grumpig could also work over Clefable. It has the same problems as Lanturn in being a Rest Talker, however he can handle Ninetales 1v1. Help please.



Threat List-
Absol- I'm not particularly fond of facing this thing. Leafeon/Nidoqueen wall him, but Crit hax make him more dangerous than he should be.
Aerodactyl- CB hits hard, but requires prediction to beat Leafeon/Nidoqueen. Life Orb sets with F-Blast are thankfully rather rare, but admittedly could cause me trouble. SR takes a toll however, and Sharpedo is always ready to revenge kill with Aqua Jet.
Aggron- Can't really harm Nidoqueen/Leafeon. Leafeon Roars him away, Nidoqueen threatens with EQ.
Altaria- DD versions are laughed at by Leafeon, and Specs has trouble getting past Articuno/Blastoise.
Armaldo- A very dangerous poke, Leafeon has to take a big hit and strike back, KO'ing or at least putting him in range for Sharpedo. Thankfully he's SR weak. Poison and Life Orb can add up real quick too.
Cacturne- Can't really do anything to Leafeon. Articuno can also take him on, and either Roar him away or attack with Ice Beam.
Clefable- Facade versions can't get by Leafeon/Nidoqueen and can be revenge killed by Sharpedo. CM gets Roared away. Cosmic Power gets Roared till it's the last poke, when Blastoise takes over and prevents set up with Haze.
Crawdaunt- Hits very hard, but Leafeon takes those hits like a champ, and threatens back with Leaf Blade.
Froslass- Specs is the only version that can really trouble me, and Blastoise/Articuno can take everything but T-Bolt, which Clefable can take. SR weak thankfully, and of course T-Spikes help.
Glaceon- Blastoise takes him on fine, Articuno can take anything but Ice Beam, as it has a chance to 2HKO. SR and TS help a lot.
Hitmonlee/chan/top- None of them can get by Leafeon/Nidoqueen.
Jynx- Blastoise/Articuno can always find a way to take it down, no matter the set. SR and TS help a lot. Sharpedo can revenge kill.
Kabutops- Leafeon can take whatever he throws, and has Leaf Blade.
Leafeon- My own Leafeon can Roar them away to prevent set up.
Manectric- Clefable is the only switch in I have. Have to wear it down with SR/TS/LO and revenge kill with Sharpedo.
Muk- Nidoqueen walls this, and threatens with EQ.
Nidoking- Leafeon outspeeds Mixed versions and hits for ~50%. Articuno outspeeds Mixed versions and KO's. Sharpedo can revenge kill Mixexd Versions. CB/Specs are walled by the appropriate wall combination.
Ninetales- Yikes, I'm a tad bit weak to this thing. It's the reason I insist on being able to absorb sleep so much. Clefable/Blastoise can usually handle him, but it's very shaky. Thank god he's SR weak, not to mention Poison and Life Orb add up quick. Sharpedo can revenge kill.
Omastar/Gorebyss- Blastoise is my best bet in Rain. Rather shaky here too, though similarly to Ninetales it can be played around.
Poliwrath- Hypnosis can make him a pain to deal with, however so long as Leafeon stays awake he's not threatened, and has Leaf Blade to fight back with.
Primeape- Similar fate to the Hitmon's
Relicanth- Leafeon again troubles him. Leaf Blade of course KO's
Rotom- Annoying with Trick, but otherwise not much of a threat.
Scyther- SR hampers him, but the closest thing to a counter I have is switching to Nidoqueen, taking a large hit and KO'ing back.
Sharpedo- Band can't get past Leafeon, Mixed is harder to counter, and usually involves taking a hit before KO'ing back
Shiftry- Can't get past Articuno, who threatens with Ice Beam.
Swellow- A real pain, thankfully it doesn't last long with Burn/Poison and SR. At 50% Sharpedo can revenge kill
Toxicroak- Nidoqueen takes on both versions fine, and has EQ. Nasty Plot versions can also be dealt with by Articuno.
Venusaur- Clefable/Articuno take it on just fine
 
Metric: Yea, the thought of Rotom has entered my mind many a time. Spin Blocker, WoW, his STAB's take care of several common Spinners. However, I am really struggling to find a place for him :/ Whenever I consider changes I always try to see if there's a way to fit him into my team, but as of now it's just not happened. Thanks for the suggestion anyways, it's definitely something to keep in mind.
 
Well, you could regain your manliness + balls and drop Clefable. Comes with Being Less of an Asshole on the purchase, without additional cost!
 
Salem, don't tell me to drop it and not give a suggestion to replace it with. I mean, at least say something like 'Yea, Hypno>Clefable and SR>Protect on Nidoqueen because of <insert reason here>'. Just telling me dropping Clefable makes me more manly doesn't help much.

DDyarado: Advice taken, Clefable takes 36.44% - 42.82% from Life Orb Timid Manectric's T-Bolt with the new EV Spread.
 
I understand the general position that people want clefable out of UU on a similar parallel that people want garchomp out of OU, but Salem, your post was just not helpful at all. :/

I see manectric causing some problems for you here, seeing as your two special walls are weak to (stab) thunderbolt, and the other two walls who resist/are immune to electric, are physical walls, and are handled to an extent by HP Ice, which is pretty common on manectric.

That being said, while you may want to get rid of clefable, I believe the best solution to deal with what I think is a very glaring manectric weakness, is add more sp. def evs to clefable, and she can wall him fine, with wish+protect stalling, then facading off some damage on him.

Overall, I really do like the two defensive psynergies you created with nidoqueen~leafeon and articuno~blastoise. I love defense :D

Nice team. 7.7/10

(yes, i did just use a decimal)
 
If you're gonna use CB Sharpedo, I think Pursuit deserves a spot (not sure instead of what but it can be deadly to get rid of annoying ghosts / psychics).

Haze on Blastoise? Roar is a lot better and helps with the indirect damage of TS and SR.

Swellow could dent you pretty hard, so you should probably consider defensive Rotom (maybe instead of Leafeon or Articuno) to work with and block spins like mentioned before me.
 
Exclamation Point: Thanks for the suggestion, but that would leave me without a Sleep absorber, as well as opening up a rather large Ninetales weakness.
rkatzam: Sharpedo does not learn Pursuit. Haze is for last poke stat uppers, as Leafeon/Articuno can Roar away the rest of the threats during early/midgame, but they obviously can't Roar something away when it's the last poke. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
thanks for the good advice moveset master. dumbass. I'm not the greatest UU player, but i do notice a pretty bad thing for this team: 5/6 are weak to bolt beam. So if any bolt beamer comes in your opponent is going to probably predict your switch to clefable which can give him free switches to get a powerful fighter in... that's just what i noticed
 
Moveset Master: How does this help me at all? Anyways, he comes in on revenge kills.
ultimifier: You do bring up a good point, which is why it's important to me that Clefable or whoever may take its place are not weak to Bolt Beam. However, if they predict my switch and bring in a Fighter, is that so bad? Nidoqueen is here for a reason.
 
Hey luphrous!^_^

Nice team, was fun to face it even though stall vs stall is phail.

I'm just wondering, wouldn't Life orb be better on Sharpedo? That way its not stuck in one attack.

Just a suggestion...
 
Alright, time to throw my team rating hat into the arena.

This is a solid team, however with a few slight tweaks it could be even better.

For one, I don't get this need for a "cleaner" on so many UU stall teams. Why not just continue the stall? I've played stall successfully, my teams have gotten to the top of Smogon tour, and never once have I used a "cleaner"... it's just not necessary. Instead I feel like you could be using Sharpedo's spot for more coverage.

The main thing I want to say is that your opponent can predict just as well as you can... do you really want a Stall team's defensive core to be reliant on prediction to survive against Hitmonlee? Life Orb Hitmonlee will 2HKO both your Leafeon and Nidoqueen, and that's WITH the protect leftovers included. It's not a spot I'd want to be in... and with the constant need to keep switching there's no way to heal. You also don't want to lose your spikes... at all... ever... It's the worst thing that can happen to a Stall team to have to start all over again on spikes.

That's why I suggest... My bulky Rotom set! [/shameless plugging]

Rotom @ Leftovers
Bold Nature
EV's: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpA

Rest
Sleep Talk
Will-O-Wisp
Shadow Ball

I usually go with Thunderbolt over Shadow Ball for coverage, but your specific needs warrent Shadow Ball instead. You really do have trouble with Claydol, and Shadow Ball fixes that problem. The rest of this set is pretty much self explanitory.

------

I think your Articuno's EVs could be better tailored to fit your needs too. Rotom will be a slight problem to the team as it can get in on Nidoqueen/Clefable/Blastoise and fire off those electric attacks that your team really hates. I'd like to see 32 more EV's put into Special Defense (take them from Defense). This allows guaranteed 3HKO's from Rotom's Thunderbolts rather than a chance for 2HKO's. That way you can take it down nicely as it won't enjoy taking STAB Ice Beams with its weak Special Defense.

------

I'm going to avoid making any more changes because I know that with Stall teams it's important to make one change at a time and see how it slowly begins to wall the entire metagame. If you decide to change the Sharpedo to Rotom then be sure to post what new threats hurt you if you can't figure out how to fix them yourself!
 
This team looks awesome but I don't like how weak you are to electric, and in general I think Sharpedo needs to go. Quagsire and Rotom get plenty of free switches into this team, which bothers me. Quagsire can easily switch into Blastoise as nothing at all threatens it, and pretty much the same story for everyone except Sharpedo's Crunch and Leafeon's Leaf Blade. Once they get their Stealth Rock up have fun, as Yawn will force your Blastoise to switch or fall victim to sleep, and he is vital to Articuno's survivability. Rotom on the other hand, threatens with a more offensive tone. STAB Thunderbolt runs through quite a bit of your team, and nothing can truly safely switch in. Rotom blocks Blastoise's Rapid Spin, and it also completely walls Clefable with its normal immunity. Articuno can Ice Beam, but Rotom outspeeds and promptly 2HKOs. Sharpedo can't switch in either... Nidoqueen is walled and possibly Will-o-Wisped, allowing STAB Shadow Ball to wear it down rather quickly. Leafeon can also be Will-o-Wisped and worn down by STAB Shadow Ball. I think in a UU team it is extremely important to have something that can Pursuit and kill Rotom. This is why I think if you keep Sharpedo you ABSOLUTELY need Pursuit. Without it, he just switches in, and people know what he can do, so they switch to Quagsire or Relicanth or whatever. With Pursuit, they may know what you can do, but once you are in on Rotom, knowledge of a particular set isn't going to save them.
 
LonelyNess: The reason for a "cleaner" is simple. Clefable. Clefable will just laugh at anything I can throw at it. That's the biggest reason for Sharpedo. Just for the record, I don't think Clefable requires to be moved up, but that's only me. But do note that in the event it is cast away to BL, I WILL begin testing a full on Stall team, and the very first poke I'm looking to test would be none other than Rotom. So yea, I appreciate your suggestion for Rotom, it's easily the poke I would love to fit in the most with those resistances and Immunities, not to mention WoW and blocking RS, but unfortunately I've tried time and time again to fit it in and I just don't see how :/
As for that Life Orb Hitmonlee, Jolly versions(the most common I would assume) cannot 2HKO Leafeon with Close Combat. Adamant versions would requires hitting max/near max damage twice in order to 2HKO, taking a turn of Protect in account. I'll admit that with SR down I could be in trouble, but because of Articuno I've gotten in the habit of eradicating SR at every possible opportunity, so I spend most turns SR free. In the even that SR is down however, and Leafeon is threatened, I'm willing to let Nidoqueen take an EQ and fire back with one of its own. So to sum up you are right that Life Orb is more of a threat than I had given credit for, something I'll definitely keep in mind the next time I face one. Thanks for pointing it out.

Kagster123: Hey Kagster ^_^
You're right, the match was fun despite stall vs. stall
And I've opted for CB > LO because I can consistenly 2HKO CM Clefable with it, something LO won't give me. That and I've found the extra power to just in general prove very helpful. But thanks for the suggestion.

EDIT
blasphemy1: Quagsire does not learn SR. I know, I always thought it did too but after looking it up, no. Anyways Quagsire is pretty much ruined if it gets poisoned, and I of course have Leafeon to scare it away, so I'm not too worried about it, especially as it is currently pretty rare. As for Rotom, you are correct that it really can ravage my team. Unfortunately, Sharpedo does not learn Pursuit(it doesn't, right? Several have suggested it, so I'm not so sure anymore). But anyways, I'm not really sure what can be done about it. The thing I don't get is if it can ravage me so, why hasn't it been doing it? Rotom has done little more than be annoying with Trick in my experience, so I don't really know why I'm having so little trouble with it.
Oh, and why do you think Sharpedo needs to go? If anything that weakness to Rotom only solidifies its spot, as I outrun and at the very least force it out.

EDIT2: Somehow missed the bit where LonelyNess suggested moving 32 EVs to Sp. Def, making rotom 3HKO instead of having a chance at a 2HKO. So yea, seeing as how I'm currently a bit Rotom weak I'm going to add it in. Thanks for the suggestion LonelyNess
 
Okay, so after some testing I've gone with Toxic over Protect on Nidoqueen. But my real question now is do I replace Clefable with Hypno/Grumpig/Lanturn and give Nidoqueen SR over Toxic? I really dislike the idea of having Nidoqueen set up both, as she doesn't always get two free turns, usually just one. Not to mention that without Toxic, now she loses to Spinners again(or at least doesn't threaten them). On the other hand, Hypno/Grumpig/Lanturn would be better at taking hits than Clefable, and would allow me to make Blastoise's defenses more even. Hypno offers Wish support, Lanturn would have to be a RestTalkers, but resists BoltBeam, which I'm currently weak to, not to mention is beats Rotom who I'm also a bit weak to. Grumpig beats Ninetales 1v1, which is a pretty big deal as currently I tend to have to sacrifice a poke whilst taking down Ninetales. All three have their merits, but what worries me the most is putting both SR and TS on Nidoqueen. I'd like opinions on this the most, as it's pretty much the only question I have left on my team.
Oh, and this post is serving as a bump.
 
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