Description
I've been wanting to make a UU team for quite some time, and so I decided to finally do so. Wanting to try a new type of play, I decided to run a stall team in UU, despite all the new weapons that arrived to UU in the forms of Alakazam, Rhyperior, Raikou, and Gallade. Since this was my first time making a stall team, I had some initial trouble figuring out what worked and what didn't, and I've been led to this team, which I'm satisfied with as of now. That doesn't mean it's perfect of course, and any opinions on the team would be much appreciated.
At a glance
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Omastar (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Surf
- Spikes
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Toxic Spikes
Description: I've been testing out Omastar, and he's been doing much better than Froslass, probably because he's quite durable. Resistances to Fire, Normal, Flying, Ice, and Poison aren't the greatest in the world, but the first three are definitely useful. Despite the prevalence of Venusaur on many teams, I still find Toxic Spikes useful, as if they lack a Poison type or it dies, it cripples many walls and adds even more residual damage to the many potent sweepers that love to run Life Orb. EVs are just a boring 252/252/4 variant, nothing special.
Against leads
Ambipom - Having high Def and Rock helps, as I take little from Fake Out, doing 11% max with Life Orb. Taunt's becoming rarer these days on Ambipom, so I can potentially get some hazards up. LO Low Kick 3HKOs me, so I'm pretty safe against Ambipom.
Uxie - TrickScarf is annoying, but regardless, I always start off Spiking. A lot of the ones I've faced recently hit me with T-wave for some reason, wasting a turn. Perhaps they think I'm setting up Rain Dance. If they start setting up screens, I send in a layer of Toxic Spikes, forcing them to use their Poison/Flyer/Levitator first, lest they be hit by Poison. Most of them also happen to be handled quite easily by Arcanine, so not too much of a problem.
Froslass - HP Rock as it Taunts me. Depending on the damage done/item held, I'll either attack again or switch out. If it's the bulky Froslass, I stay in and HP Rock again. If it's the suicide lead, Arcanine goes in to WoW it.
Moltres - Immediately switch to Chansey, who sets up SR. Scarf or Life Orb doesn't really matter, since Chansey takes either handily. If I feel risky, I'll stick with Omastar and start Spiking as they Fire Blast/U-turn, but Chansey's the safest switch.
Hippopotas/Snover - It negates my Lefties on everyone (except Omastar in sand), but that applies to my opponent as well, and I deal with Ground/Rock/Steel/Ice types pretty easily for the most part. Either way, it's a free set up of Spikes and Toxic Spikes, while all Hippo can do is set up SR and Yawn me or something while Snover can't do anything but Leech Seed or something. EQ is a 4-5HKO, so I've got plenty of time to do whatever I want against Hippo while the only threatening Snover is one running Max Attack and Wood Hammer, both of which are rare.
Electrode - Tricky to deal with, but Surf can 2HKO if it Taunts first. The problem is if/when it sets up rain, my team has serious problems.
Mesprit - Identical to Uxie, except a bit slower, less bulky, and more powerful.
Arcanine - Leads usually go Flare Blitz/Extremespeed/Toxic with Overheat or HP Grass as their last move (perhaps Morning Sun will replace it in popularity soon?). HP Grass means I lose, otherwise, I can set up on Arcanine easily.
Spiritomb - Free setup no matter what set it runs, unless it's running HP Grass for some reason.
Gallade - Set up a layer of Spikes to see what happens: Omastar can survive a CC, and using a lead Gallade with Life Orb is strange as hell. After seeing what it does, I go to Spiritomb or Arcanine.
Swellow - Even more free set up than Spiritomb is, as I resist Facade and Brave Bird, and high Def makes the rest of his attacks laughable.
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP/200 Def/56 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Foresight
- Rapid Spin
- Mach Punch
- Rest
Description: Was Claydol, who was switched out for Donphan, who has been switched out for Hitmontop. Spiritomb was too common a switch-in to Donphan, and being delayed in spinning was annoying, so Hitmontop screws all of that by using Foresight. Mach Punch gives me a second priority move, also allowing me to revenge Houndoom if it rampages through my team, doing 49.48% - 58.42% to 0/0 Houndoom, coupled with SR, a layer of Spikes, Life Orb, and Poison from TS, I make sure its rampage is a short one. Rest gives Hitmontop a source of healing, working well with Chansey's Heal Bell.
Chansey (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 8 HP/252 Def/248 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
- Softboiled
- Stealth Rock
Description: Chansey is my cleric, ridding my team of annoying status effects, as well as being my Stealth Rock user. Chansey has quite a few opportunities to come in and set up Stealth Rock, and she happened to be able to spare a spot. Aside from that, not much to say; just like her evolved form, Chansey is an integral part of a stall team. Shed Shell is the item, as I've found the lack of Leftovers isn't too bad, and better to be safe than sorry if Dugtrio shows its heads.
Venusaur (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/16 Spd/236 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Power Whip
- Roar
- Synthesis
- Leech Seed
Description: Special defensive Venusaur comes in to absorb a variety of special attacks (as well as Toxic Spikes!), also being a good check against Raikou outside Life Orb variants ones that run Extrasensory. Power Whip is a nice addition to Venusaur, hitting the physical inept special sweepers hard on the physical side, and has the benefit over Leaf Storm of not decreasing in power. Synthesis provides Venusaur with a (for the most part) 50% recovery move. Leech Seed works well in wearing my opponent down, as switching in to Spikes, SR, and then Leech Seed really puts a drain on one's HP. Roar is to phaze opponents out, stacking up the damage from my hazards, and can really annoy Substitute Mismagius and Raikou, thinking they are safe behind a Sub to NP/CM. The EVs here are to outspeed 4 Speed Milotic, allowing me to heal up, launch a Leech Seed, or nail it with Power Whip before it can do anything to me.
Arcanine (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP/116 Def/140 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Morning Sun
- Will-o-wisp
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Flare Blitz
Description: Defensive Arcanine, who is now viable due to a new move in Morning Sun, giving him a source of recovery. Flare Blitz seems counterproductive on a defensive set, but I've found Arcanine really needs that oompf FB gives. HP Water seems to be another strange choice, but it lets me wear down Flash Fire switch-ins and Rhyperior with ease. I lose out on the guaranteed 2HKO against 252/0 Rhyperior by running Jolly, but given the amount of hazards I have, it's of little significance.
Spiritomb (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/4 Spd/164 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Pursuit
- Rest
- Curse
Description: Spiritomb serves as my primary spin blocker and check on Mismagius and Gallade, as well as providing me with another priority move in Shadow Sneak. Pursuit nails Pokemon switching out decently, as well as crippling Mismagius and Alakazam switching out of Tomb to try and set up another day. I had problems against Cro sets, and Toxic was rarely used, so I opted out for Curse, which is devastating, knocking off 25% HP every turn. Rest has good synergy with Chansey's Heal Bell, and allows me to heal up and Curse with Spiritomb another time if need be.
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Threat List
Names in Black are threats easily taken care of.
Names in Blue are threats that are of somewhat difficult to handle.
Names in Red are threats that are very difficult to handle.
Absol: Arcanine Intimidates it, outspeeds it to hit with WoW, crippling it to the point of being a joke.
Aggron: Hitmontop can come in on any of its moves and nail it with a 4x super effective Mach Punch. Aggron's monstrous Defense makes Mach Punch a 3HKO though, even on 0/0 Aggron. Still, residual damage from Spikes/SR and constant Mach Punches makes it easy to deal with.
Alakazam: Spiritomb handles Zam easily, being 3HKO'd at best by the strongest Zam (SpecsZam using Shadow Ball). Shadow Sneak/Pursuit ends it quickly, and Chansey can take on any set lacking CM/Trick.
Altaria: Arcanine can come in on the DD, take an EQ, and WoW it. The problem is if it runs Heal Bell, which can be a nuisance. Constant Intimidates between Arcanine and Hitmontop and WoWs wears it down though. Specs sets are a joke against Chansey, and Perish Song sets aren't too dangerous outside the obvious "I'm down 2-1" situation.
Ambipom: As mentioned, Omastar doesn't really care about Ambipom. Arcanine and Hitmontop can also take anything it throws at it thanks to decent defensive stats and Intimidate.
Arcanine: Arcanine handles Arcanine funny enough, resisting Arcanine's powerful Flare Blitz/Fire Blast/Overheat, and Intimidate cuts down on Arcanine's superior Atk stat. HP Water finishes it off. If need be, Mach Punch/Shadow Sneak can wear it down to the point it can't do much.
Azumaril: A combination of Arcanine and Venusaur take care of Azumarill for the most part. Arcanine can handle any of Azumarill's attacks except Waterfall, and Venusaur takes the Waterfalls handily. Both outspeed Azumarill, and CB Aqua Jet fails to 2HKO Arcanine after the Intimidate, allowing Arcanine to WoW it if possible. SubPunch variants are easily taken care of by Venusaur due to being outsped and the overall lack of Ice Punch on the SubPunching set. Resisting Focus Punch and Waterfall/Aqua Jet helps to rid of the water rabbit, and the lack of CB allows even Arcanine to survive Azumarill's Waterfalls. The addition of Hitmontop gives me another check, though he can't do much back to Azumarill with just Mach Punch. Omastar laughs at everything except Superpower/Focus Punch.
Blastoise: Venusaur outspeeds it and nails it with a powerful Power Whip. It resists Blastoise's Water Spout, and the only threat Venusaur faces is a Specs Ice Beam, with Specs being rare on Blastoise in the first place. Spiritomb can take any non-Water hits from the Specs set too. The spinning set is dealt by Spiritomb, who blocks attempts to Rapid Spin, having a great SpDef to tank hits, not minding Toxic due to Rest, Yawn being only a minor inconvenience, and Tomb's ability to PP stall.
Blaziken: Arcanine, taking Fire Blasts, Vacuum Waves, Superpowers, or whatever it throws. Stone Edge is a fear, but few run Stone Edge, and switches between Top and Arcanine fix that problem.
Chansey: Leech Seed stalling from Venusaur, stalling from Chansey, Omastar can set up Spikes on it, Arcanine's Flare Blitz; having no offense to speak of makes Chansey easy as hell to deal with.
Claydol: Spiritomb blocks its attempts to Rapid Spin, is immune to Psychic and Explosion, and it lacks the power to deal any significant damage to Tomb with EQ. Toxic wears it down, Rest negates any attempts by Claydol to Toxic stall Tomb out.
Clefable: Clefable is ridiculously hard to take down. I can't wear it down with Spikes/SR, Toxic/Poison/Burn/Curse, or Leech Seed due to Magic Guard. Any damage I might deal is easily recovered by Softboiled or Wish. The only thing I can do against Clefable is stall out its PP with Spiritomb or any of my other guys. If my opponent uses an offensive CM set with Life Orb, it's pretty much gg. Arcanine can 2-3HKO the 252/0 Def variants with Flare Blitz though.
Donphan: A nuisance since EQ hurts Spiritomb if I try to block Rapid Spin. Double Intimidate and WoW from Arcanine makes short work of it.
Drapion: Arcanine WoWs it and cripples it, non-SD versions don't pose much of a threat to Omastar setting up or Venusaur Roaring/Leech Seeding.
Dugtrio: An annoying bastard with its ability to trap my guys. The main problem is its ability to take out Spiritomb, Hitmontop, and Arcanine.
Electrode: It's pretty much guaranteed to be a lead, likely setting up Rain Dance. Electrode is a huge threat, not for it breaking apart my team, but for setting up his teammates to completely tear my team.
Espeon: Similar to Alakazam with great Speed, monstrous SpAtk, and getting 2HKO'd by Spiritomb's Shadow Sneak while being able to do almost nothing back.
Feraligatr: SD is dangerous, capable of KOing my guys with ease with a LO equipped. I need to pull off a WoW from Arcanine to beat this easily, otherwise it can potentially rip through the team without a sweat.
Gallade: Outsped by Arcanine and hit by WoW. In most situations though, I'll switch to Arcanine to Intimidate it as it SDs and then switch to Spiritomb, who can take care of every single variant. The rare Bulk Up variants are a joke against Spiritomb.
Gardevoir: Trick variants are bad, Dual Screen variants are worse. It can't do much to Spiritomb, but as mentioned, Trick and Dual Screen makes Gardevoir a problem, mainly for what it does to its team.
Hariyama: Knock Off is annoying, but defensive non-Sleep Talk variants are crippled by Arcanine. Guts is annoying, but Hariyama can be worn down by Arcanine/Venusaur/Spiritomb for the most part.
Hitmonlee: Banded Hitmonlee gives the most problems with how hard it hits, but Hitmontop fails to be 2HKO'd by Jolly CC. Spike/SR damage with Toxic makes it even easier to deal with. Scarf gives no trouble at all, as it's too weak to do any significant damage to Arcanine or Hitmontop.
Hitmontop: ForesightTop ruins any Spiking I manage to do. TechniTop is taken care of by Arcanine, Bulk Up variants w/o Rest suffer from WoW/Toxic Spikes.
Honchkrow: Arcanine outspeeds and nails them with a WoW, after which I can just heal up with Morning Sun as they kill themselves with recoil.
Houndoom: If it gets a Flash Fire boost, a lot of things are going to die. I'll need to predict Houndoom coming in and nail it with HP Water. Switching in on SR and HP Water, the next time Houndoom switches in, LO recoil will KO it. Any layers of Spikes/TS seal Houndooms fate faster. Top can also revenge it if its HP is low enough, but that implies it already killed someone.
Kabutops: If I'm fighting a Kabutops, chances are, it's raining, and if it's raining, this guy just rips this team apart. I need to switch in Arcanine to Intimidate it as it SDs, switch to Hitmontop for another Intimidate, Mach Punch, and just wait out the rain. Toxic Spikes makes it easier to deal with, but damn, Kabutops doesn't fuck around.
Lanturn: Stalled out by Spiritomb or Chansey. Venusaur can Power Whip it or Leech Seed it.
Ludicolo: Quite easy to deal with for the most part. Chansey walls the special offensive set in the rain, Venusaur takes care of the Toxicstall set in the rain, but there's quite a bit of trouble against the SD variant in the rain. Need Toxic Spikes to deal with this guy effectively.
Magneton: I don't have any Steel types, so his whole trapping niche is useless. Venusaur can Leech Seed it if it lacks Substitute, and if it does have Substitute, it can just Roar it out. HP Fire is a joke, not even 3HKOing Venusaur. Explosion is scary though.
Mesprit: It seems to be mostly a lead from what I gather from the stats from September, which fails to do any significant damage to Froslass, who can Spike in its face or attempt to kill it with Shadow Ball. CM variants are mostly defensive given Mesprit's stats, so Tomb Curses it and I stall it out.
Milotic: Defensive Milotics are taken care of easily by Venusaur, who takes little from Ice Beam, can Leech Seed it, Power Whip it, do whatever. Offensive Milotic fails to 2HKO Venusaur almost all the time with Life Orb Ice Beam (fails to 2HKO >99% of the time), and if SR is up, Power Whip OHKOs Milotic all the time after the LO recoil. Variants with Recover can be stalled out by Spiritomb and Chansey.
Miltank: Toxic stalling Miltank makes it easy to deal with, and Pressure drains Heal Bell's PP quickly, Rest guarantees Miltank can't do much against Spiritomb.
Mismagius: SubCM is easily dealt with by Venusaur, who takes 32.42% - 38.74% from a +1 Shadow Ball. Venusaur can just Roar it away, or go for the kill with Power Whip. NP+3 isn't too bad either, as +2 Shadow Ball fails to 2HKO, and a Power Whip from Venusaur deals 63.60% - 75.10%, limiting its sweeping ability coupled with Life Orb. If it comes on Top's Foresight, I can use ST on Chansey to wear it down.
Moltres: The SubRoost set is dealt with by Spiritomb, who stalls it out faster than Moltres can stall it out. More common, however, is the Choice Scarf/LO set. Chansey can take hits from that quite handily.
Nidoking: Tricky to deal with initially due to the number of moves it can run, but not too difficult. Intimidate+WoW gets rid of its physical prowess, but Earth Power has the ability to OHKO Arcanine. Venusaur/Hitmontop are likely the best bets to test what kind of moves Nidoking is running.
Omastar: Chansey's huge HP and SpDef prevent Omastar from running me over like Kabutops does.
Raikou: SubCM versions are dealt with by Venusaur, who can Roar the first time as they think they can at least get a free CM in behind their Sub. Offensive Raikou is still checked by Venusaur, outside the few I've seen that ran Extrasensory. When in doubt, Chansey is the safest bet.
Regirock: Spiritomb has an easy time with Pressure wasting Stone Edge's precious PP and an immunity to Explosion. Curse sets are a bit of a pain, but starting off with Leech Seed, it can eventually be worn down easily and stalled out.
Registeel: Unlike Regirock, Registeel cannot be stalled out with Toxic, due to its Steel typing. However, the Curse variant is more suspectible to Arcanine, due to it usually running just Iron Head as its offensive move, which Arcanine resists, its lower Base Atk, and WoW. Annoying to take down like Clefable, but ones lacking Rest are eventually worn down by constant switches to Spikes/SR. Not being immune to Curse helps too.
Rhyperior: It's surprising, but Arcanine can actually survive a LO Stone Edge/Earthquake from Max Atk Rhyperior after the Intimidate 33.33% of the time (it does 89.58% - 106.25%). Rhyperior gets outsped and hit by WoW or HP Water, depending on how much HP it has.
Rotom: Kinda like Gardevoir in that Trick and Dual Screen really annoys me. Can't do much to Spiritomb, Chansey or Venusaur besides Tricking them, and Rotom isn't going to like getting Venusaur's Black Sludge.
Spectile: Special variants are dealt with by Venusaur, who takes almost nothing from any of its attacks. Venusaur can likewise switch on the physical variants, taking a +2 LO Earthquake and Roaring it out. Arcanine can also switch in to Sceptile pretty easily, especially the physical variants. Obviously, Chansey can also take the special variants.
Scyther: An offensive Scyther is taken care of by Arcanine. Baton Pass variants are a bit annoying, but they're manageable if it's just passing SD, as Arcanine can burn the switch in with little problem (except an opposing Arcanine).
Slowbro: Venusaur can Leech Seed him and take Psychics/Ice Beams with its bulk, Toxic from Claydol, Clefable, or Spiritomb wear it down. CM variants are hit by Toxic and slowly die. lolcurse is taken care of by Arcanine and WoW.
Spritomb: Crotomb is a nuisance, especially if it's the last guy. Curse lets me beat it if it's the last guy.
Steelix: WoW from Arcanine cripples it, up to the point that Explosion is a joke with Intimidate and Burn. CurseLix is similar to Registeel, so no problems dealing with it.
Swellow: SR and damage from Burn/Toxic prevent it from doing too much damage against my team. Base 85 Atk also prevents it from being too damaging, moreso with Arcanine around and its Intimidate. Omastar laughs at it, resisting both its STABs and sporting a monstrous Defense.
Tangrowth: SDgrowth in the Sun in dangerous, capable of OHKOing Arcanine with +1 LO Earthquake. Anything outside the SD variant in the sun is easier to take care of, with Arcanine being able to take its STAB Grass attacks with relative ease. Venusaur can come in on most of its attacks too. Knock Off is still a bitch though.
Torterra: Arcanine can come in on the Rock Polish, take a LO boosted Earthquake, and smack it with WoW. After the WoW, almost anything can take it on, with Venusaur being the best bet. Non-RP sets can be taken care of by Venusaur, and Arcanine still makes a good switch in with Intimidate+WoW.
Toxicroak: If Toxicroak runs Substitute, he becomes a bit more difficult to handle, but Arcanine makes a good switch in like always. If I can hit it with WoW, it's easily dealt with. Can be threatening, but Venusaur benefits from resisting his powerful Fighting attacks and Roaring it away if it hides behind a Sub.
Typhlosion: Blissey can wall pretty much every single Typhlosion. Arcanine's a safe bet too with a resistance to Fire. Omastar can switch into its Fire attacks as well, though HP Grass/Focus Blast hurts.
Umbreon: Like every other Curse user, I can deal with Umbreon through Leech Seed, Toxic, WoW, Intimidate switches with Arcanine, PP stalling with Spiritomb, etc. Venusaur is the safest switch in to Umbreon, as it can Roar out Umbreon if it tries to Mean Look, or launch Leech Seed before it can Taunt. Variants without Rest or Heal Bell are worn down by Toxic. Curse does wonders to the Curse set.
Uxie: The lead analysis has already been mentioned above. Non-lead Uxie generally carry supporting moves, so I usually take this time to use Omastar to set up hazards or shuffle the opponent with Roar.
Venusaur: SDVenusaur can be taken care of by Arcanine's Intimidate and WoW, though Sleep Powder can be a nuisance. Non physical variants can otherwise be walled by my own Venusaur. WoW and stalling its Synthesis PP is about the only way to deal with it, but it can't do much to me either.
Weezing: Arcanine can come in on WoW or Fire Blast easily, also not taking much from its other attacks, except Sludge Bomb. WoW adds residual damage to Weezing, Leech Seed from Venusaur also adding to that. Venusaur can likewise switch in with little trouble, Fire Blast being Weezing's most potent weapon against Venusaur, and that fails to 3HKO. Spiritomb with its high SpDef also makes a good switch in, but all it can really do is PP stall Weezing. Tomb has the benefit of being immune to Explosion, however, though through Arcanine's Intimidate+WoW, it's of little concern.
I've been wanting to make a UU team for quite some time, and so I decided to finally do so. Wanting to try a new type of play, I decided to run a stall team in UU, despite all the new weapons that arrived to UU in the forms of Alakazam, Rhyperior, Raikou, and Gallade. Since this was my first time making a stall team, I had some initial trouble figuring out what worked and what didn't, and I've been led to this team, which I'm satisfied with as of now. That doesn't mean it's perfect of course, and any opinions on the team would be much appreciated.
At a glance
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Omastar (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Shell Armor
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SDef
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Surf
- Spikes
- Hidden Power [Rock]
- Toxic Spikes
Description: I've been testing out Omastar, and he's been doing much better than Froslass, probably because he's quite durable. Resistances to Fire, Normal, Flying, Ice, and Poison aren't the greatest in the world, but the first three are definitely useful. Despite the prevalence of Venusaur on many teams, I still find Toxic Spikes useful, as if they lack a Poison type or it dies, it cripples many walls and adds even more residual damage to the many potent sweepers that love to run Life Orb. EVs are just a boring 252/252/4 variant, nothing special.
Against leads
Ambipom - Having high Def and Rock helps, as I take little from Fake Out, doing 11% max with Life Orb. Taunt's becoming rarer these days on Ambipom, so I can potentially get some hazards up. LO Low Kick 3HKOs me, so I'm pretty safe against Ambipom.
Uxie - TrickScarf is annoying, but regardless, I always start off Spiking. A lot of the ones I've faced recently hit me with T-wave for some reason, wasting a turn. Perhaps they think I'm setting up Rain Dance. If they start setting up screens, I send in a layer of Toxic Spikes, forcing them to use their Poison/Flyer/Levitator first, lest they be hit by Poison. Most of them also happen to be handled quite easily by Arcanine, so not too much of a problem.
Froslass - HP Rock as it Taunts me. Depending on the damage done/item held, I'll either attack again or switch out. If it's the bulky Froslass, I stay in and HP Rock again. If it's the suicide lead, Arcanine goes in to WoW it.
Moltres - Immediately switch to Chansey, who sets up SR. Scarf or Life Orb doesn't really matter, since Chansey takes either handily. If I feel risky, I'll stick with Omastar and start Spiking as they Fire Blast/U-turn, but Chansey's the safest switch.
Hippopotas/Snover - It negates my Lefties on everyone (except Omastar in sand), but that applies to my opponent as well, and I deal with Ground/Rock/Steel/Ice types pretty easily for the most part. Either way, it's a free set up of Spikes and Toxic Spikes, while all Hippo can do is set up SR and Yawn me or something while Snover can't do anything but Leech Seed or something. EQ is a 4-5HKO, so I've got plenty of time to do whatever I want against Hippo while the only threatening Snover is one running Max Attack and Wood Hammer, both of which are rare.
Electrode - Tricky to deal with, but Surf can 2HKO if it Taunts first. The problem is if/when it sets up rain, my team has serious problems.
Mesprit - Identical to Uxie, except a bit slower, less bulky, and more powerful.
Arcanine - Leads usually go Flare Blitz/Extremespeed/Toxic with Overheat or HP Grass as their last move (perhaps Morning Sun will replace it in popularity soon?). HP Grass means I lose, otherwise, I can set up on Arcanine easily.
Spiritomb - Free setup no matter what set it runs, unless it's running HP Grass for some reason.
Gallade - Set up a layer of Spikes to see what happens: Omastar can survive a CC, and using a lead Gallade with Life Orb is strange as hell. After seeing what it does, I go to Spiritomb or Arcanine.
Swellow - Even more free set up than Spiritomb is, as I resist Facade and Brave Bird, and high Def makes the rest of his attacks laughable.
Hitmontop (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP/200 Def/56 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Foresight
- Rapid Spin
- Mach Punch
- Rest
Description: Was Claydol, who was switched out for Donphan, who has been switched out for Hitmontop. Spiritomb was too common a switch-in to Donphan, and being delayed in spinning was annoying, so Hitmontop screws all of that by using Foresight. Mach Punch gives me a second priority move, also allowing me to revenge Houndoom if it rampages through my team, doing 49.48% - 58.42% to 0/0 Houndoom, coupled with SR, a layer of Spikes, Life Orb, and Poison from TS, I make sure its rampage is a short one. Rest gives Hitmontop a source of healing, working well with Chansey's Heal Bell.
Chansey (F) @ Shed Shell
Ability: Natural Cure
EVs: 8 HP/252 Def/248 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Heal Bell
- Seismic Toss
- Softboiled
- Stealth Rock
Description: Chansey is my cleric, ridding my team of annoying status effects, as well as being my Stealth Rock user. Chansey has quite a few opportunities to come in and set up Stealth Rock, and she happened to be able to spare a spot. Aside from that, not much to say; just like her evolved form, Chansey is an integral part of a stall team. Shed Shell is the item, as I've found the lack of Leftovers isn't too bad, and better to be safe than sorry if Dugtrio shows its heads.
Venusaur (F) @ Black Sludge
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 252 HP/4 Def/16 Spd/236 SDef
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Power Whip
- Roar
- Synthesis
- Leech Seed
Description: Special defensive Venusaur comes in to absorb a variety of special attacks (as well as Toxic Spikes!), also being a good check against Raikou outside Life Orb variants ones that run Extrasensory. Power Whip is a nice addition to Venusaur, hitting the physical inept special sweepers hard on the physical side, and has the benefit over Leaf Storm of not decreasing in power. Synthesis provides Venusaur with a (for the most part) 50% recovery move. Leech Seed works well in wearing my opponent down, as switching in to Spikes, SR, and then Leech Seed really puts a drain on one's HP. Roar is to phaze opponents out, stacking up the damage from my hazards, and can really annoy Substitute Mismagius and Raikou, thinking they are safe behind a Sub to NP/CM. The EVs here are to outspeed 4 Speed Milotic, allowing me to heal up, launch a Leech Seed, or nail it with Power Whip before it can do anything to me.
Arcanine (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Intimidate
EVs: 252 HP/116 Def/140 Spd
Jolly nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Morning Sun
- Will-o-wisp
- Hidden Power [Water]
- Flare Blitz
Description: Defensive Arcanine, who is now viable due to a new move in Morning Sun, giving him a source of recovery. Flare Blitz seems counterproductive on a defensive set, but I've found Arcanine really needs that oompf FB gives. HP Water seems to be another strange choice, but it lets me wear down Flash Fire switch-ins and Rhyperior with ease. I lose out on the guaranteed 2HKO against 252/0 Rhyperior by running Jolly, but given the amount of hazards I have, it's of little significance.
Spiritomb (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP/88 Def/4 Spd/164 SDef
Impish nature (+Def, -SAtk)
- Shadow Sneak
- Pursuit
- Rest
- Curse
Description: Spiritomb serves as my primary spin blocker and check on Mismagius and Gallade, as well as providing me with another priority move in Shadow Sneak. Pursuit nails Pokemon switching out decently, as well as crippling Mismagius and Alakazam switching out of Tomb to try and set up another day. I had problems against Cro sets, and Toxic was rarely used, so I opted out for Curse, which is devastating, knocking off 25% HP every turn. Rest has good synergy with Chansey's Heal Bell, and allows me to heal up and Curse with Spiritomb another time if need be.
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Threat List
Names in Black are threats easily taken care of.
Names in Blue are threats that are of somewhat difficult to handle.
Names in Red are threats that are very difficult to handle.
