Introduction:
Hi, this is my first post on smogon, so im going to make it a good one (hopefully, lol). Alright, now, i have recently been play testing a new UU team that is based around specs sceptile, and, the beastly special wall, kecleon. The main focus of this team is to try to spread paralysis around, and kill off any spikers, so i am able to freely switch in my sceptile, so, that after a leaf storm, i am able to switch in and out freely. This team also features a bulky feraligatr that Godzilla created. (all credit goes to him for the whole entire set) This team has gotten me to around a record of 12-3 on the UU ladder, (only 4 days of testing though....stupid HW) so i have a good idea on what this team needs, and what this team does well.
Team Building Process:
Ok, so this team originated with.....
Yup, thats right, kecleon. After being inspired by Jimmy31428 of youtube (link at end of RMT) i decided that i would like to try out kecleon, after seeing all his success with it.
Next, seeing on how kecleon is a special wall, i figured that i needed a physical wall, that could spread paralysis....
....so i chose slowbro. Slowbro is an amazing physical wall that can, not only spread paralysis, but it can heal itself, making it an obvious choice.
Next, well, to be honest, i really dont know what i needed next, so i was looking around CAL's RMT section, and found Godzilla's UU team post. After reading it, i decided to try out his....
....Feraligatr. I liked the idea of a bulky SD feraligatr, because it fit into my teams strategy perfectly; spread paralysis, and sweep.
Now, what goes well with feraligatr? (well, in my opinion)
If you guessed Sceptile....You were correct!!! Okay, lame joke aside, sceptile is probably the best pokemon on the team. Not only does it help with my weakness to electricity, but choice Specs Sceptile + leaf storm = massive damage, no matter the opponent. This guy really is beast, and i use it as much as possible....
....which is why i realized i needed a spinner AND a stealth rocker, so i chose....
....Donphan. Donphan does its job well, spin, set up mah rockz, and resist electricity. Yes, my team has two pokemon weak to electricty, so i looked at all the UU ground types and donphan just, well, worked.
After looking this team over, i realized none of them, besides donphan, maybe, is qualified enough to be a lead, so i threw my favorite UU lead of all time (and it happens to be a friend of mines favorite pokemon)....
....Arcanine! This thing really does not have a designated purpose other than to deal as much damage as possible
Now, just rearrange the order a bit... and....:
At a glance:
A Closer Look:
Arcanine@Choice Band
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Ability: Intimidate
Ev's: 6 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Moveset:
~Flare Blitz
~Thunder Fang
~Crunch
~Extreme Speed
Description
Okay, so as you hopefully read in the team building process, this thing is basically here to deal as much damage as possible. Intimidate is to stop any physical leads from dealing damage to me. I chose choice band + adamant nature for maximum power (although, it wouldn't hurt to change to jolly).
Move Description
~FLARE BLITZ: This is my main move of choice. Not really much to say, the move speaks for itself with its 120 base power and stab.
~THUNDER FANG: Filler move. Actually, i originally had IRON HEAD in this spot, but it wasn't really doing anything for me other than the occasional flinch. Plus, if i can predict right, i can t-fang on an incoming water type, and deal a pretty nice chunk of damage.
~CRUNCH: This move is main for the three fairy / pixy leads (azelf, uxie, mesprit), as they can be killed in 2 hits. They are one of the most common leads in the UU meta-game, so crunch seemed like a logical choice
~EXTREME SPEED: This move is to use against any pokemon that is either weakened (if it survives that long) or for any pokemon that resists all the other three moves.
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Kecleon@Leftovers
Nature: Careful (+SpD, -SpA)
Ability: Color Change (fuck yeah!)
Ev's: 216 HP / 40 Atk / 252 SpD
Moveset:
~Thunder Wave
~Recover
~Aqua Tail
~Fire Punch
Description:
Kecleon, the star of the show, and one of the most useful pokemon on my team. This guy cripples any choiced pokemon (mostly specs though) because of its ability, color change. Now, this set is only good in HG /SS, so be careful if you decide to use this version of it. 216 HP and 252 SpD are for almost max special wall, i needed the atk ev's so i could hit an opponent and hopefully break the sub. The first of my paralyzers
Move Description:
~THUNDER WAVE: Used for crippling the opponent, works well with recover too.
~RECOVER: A very important move as it allows me to recover damage. (no shit) After i t-wave the opponent, i usually recover to get back the damage, and i know that there is a good chance that they opponent will switch.
~FIRE PUNCH: Ummm, not really much to say. Fire punch and aqua tail just work as dual cover moves. The only problem is water types, but i can switch into sceptile.
~AQUA TAIL: Again, not much to say other than it works well with fire punch.
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Sceptile@Choice Specs
Nature: Timid (+Spe, -Atk)
Ability: Overgrow
Ev's: 4 HP / 252 SpA / 252 Spe
Moveset:
~Dragon Pulse / Hidden Power {ice}
~Leaf Storm
~Focus Blast
~Energy Ball
Description:
This thing is amazing, especially its specs set. With its 105 base SpA and 120 Spe, coupled with its special move pool, makes this guy a force to reckon with. I usually bring him in if i know a t-bolt or any other move like that is coming, then just leaf storm the heck out of whatever switches in. The negative aspect of this set, is the switching out because of the SpA drop. That's why i need to get rid of all the spikers and the SRers before i can effectively use this guy.
Move Description:
~DRAGON PULSE / HIDDEN POWER ICE: The big controversy regarding this set is whether or not to use HP ice, or Dragon pulse. HP ice hits roserad and venesaur, two common switch-ins to sceptile, and both flying and dragon types. Dragon pulse hits dragons, but has better neutral coverage. I primarily go with HP ice, as it covers more, in my opinion.
~LEAF STORM: Best move on my team. Specs leaf storm does massive amounts of damage to any pokemon that doesnt resist it. (copy and pasted from smogon:) Damage Calculations with Timid Nature:
Leaf Storm vs. max HP / min SpD Porygon2 - 83.16% - 97.86%
Leaf Storm vs. min HP / min SpD Swellow - 98.47% - 116.09%
Leaf Storm vs. max HP / 136 SpD Steelix - 90.40% - 106.21%
Leaf Storm vs. max HP / max SpD Regirock in Sandstorm - 100%
Leaf Storm vs. max HP / max SpD Milotic - 100%
Leaf Storm vs. 4 HP / min SpD Torterra - 100%
Leaf Storm vs. 48 HP / min SpD Mismagius - 100%
Leaf Storm vs. 96 HP / max SpD Lapras - 100%
so, as you can see, this is the most devastating move on my team.
~FOCUS BLAST: Hits steels, and goes well with leaf storm
~ENERGY BALL: The other option to leaf storm. Provides constant STAB move.
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Feraligatr@Leftovers
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -Spe)
Ability: Torrent
Ev's: 166 HP / 176 Atk / 50 Def / 116 Spe
Moveset:
~Swords Dance
~Aqua Jet
~Earthquake
~Ice Punch
ALL CREDIT FOR THIS SET GOES TO GODZILA
Description:
Well, after looking around CAL, i noticed this guy on a team called: This is my story, by Godzilla, so i decided to test it out, and it worked perfectly. I like the bulkiness of this thing, because it almost guarantees a SD to get set up. Also, what would have killed a normal SD gator, now activates torrent, giving STAB aqua jet even more of a boost. Overall, i just love this thing.
Move Description:
~SWORDS DANCE:: The main move of this set. Boosts my attack... you'd have to be stupid not to know what this move is for.
~AQUA JET: Primarily my main move. It makes sure i get to attack my opponent, even a faster one, after my SD boost. Its also STABbed, so...
~EARTHQUAKE: Hits regis, and any other pokemon that resists water an ice.
~ICE PUNCH: Hits incoming flyers / grass types, and provides great coverage overall.
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Slowbro@Leftovers
Nature: Bold (+Def -Atk)
Ability: Own Tempo
Ev's: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SpD
Moveset:
~Thunder Wave
~Slack Off
~Psychic
~Surf
Description:
My physically defensive beast. This guy checks a lot of big offensive threats in UU such as Azumarill, Hariyama, Feraligatr, Hitmonlee, Hitmontop, physically based Arcanine, and Qwilfish, as well as cripple many threats to my team. This guy works well with kecleon as, they cover some of each other's weakness.
Move Description:
~THUNDER WAVE: Cripples my opponents, allowing feraligatr to set up, and sceptile to sweep. Works well with Slack Off too.
~SLACK OFF: Slack Off is a great asset, the reliable recovery it provides allowing Slowbro to wall physical attackers all game long, and is what sets it apart from numerous other Water-types in UU. Many physical sweepers cannot do over 50% to Slowbro even with super effective attacks, meaning it has little trouble alternating between attacking and recovering to stall them out. (C+P from smogon, couldnt word it better. xD)
~SURF: Main STAB move, does a decent amount of damage to opponents. Not much to say
~PSYCHIC: It was a hard decision choosing psychic or ice beam, mainly because i was so worried about honchcrow, but after a couple tests, i realized he could be handled and out sped by sceptile.
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Donphan@Leftovers
Nature: Adamant (+Atk, -SpA)
Ability: Sturdy
Ev's: 52 HP / 252 Atk / 204 Def
Moveset:
~Stealth Rocks
~Rapid Spin
~Earthquake
~Ice Shard
Description:
The glue of my team. He sets up stealth rock, which is really helpful for my team, especially with kecleon's ability. He also, spins away and entry hazards, which is basically key to me winning. Sceptile, can freely switch in and out, leaf storming opponents to death. Also, his typing is key, because he absorbs electric moves aimed toward my two water types. Keeping him alive is mainly they key to victory.
Move Description:
~STEALTH ROCKS: As switch into an electric type, i automatically set up rocks if it is early in the game, because i dont know if they have a ghost type on their team.
~RAPID SPIN: The key move that i use. Gets away all entry hazards, allowing my pokemon (especially sceptile) to switch in and out as they please.
~EARTHQUAKE: Main attacking move. STABBED, which is good.
~ICE SHARD: The big question is whether or not to use assurance, or ice shard. Right now, im using ice shard to get some damage on honchrow, as it could be a threat to my team. Assurance is good though for taking out ghost types though....
Closing Remarks:
So, this is my new UU team. Its doing fairly well on the ladder, but it could be better, so any and all criticism is greatly appreciated.
A Final Glance:
http://www.youtube.com/user/jimmy31428?blend=1&ob=4 jimmy31428 link
