Hello Smogon. This is my first post here, even though I'm fairly active on Shoddybattle (ign is the same as my forum ID/team name). I've been using this Bulky Offensive UU team for the past few months and am currently around number 18 on the ladder. I've been lurking on these forums for a while, and I decided to join today, and the first thing I wanted to do was post my team for all to see.
WARNING: This is going to be a very long and thorough RMT!
Without further delay...
Clefable (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/116 Atk/140 Def
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Wish
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Facade
---
Why this Pokemon? I wanted a lead that was bulky, could set up stealth rock, but still had the option to hit other frail leads very hard. Additionally, it had to have the ability to deal with Ampibom's Fake Out antics and couldn't be crippled by status. After experimenting with various leads that met some but not all of the above criteria, I finally turned my original stallbreak Clefable into a lead with my own specific EVs and moveset. It performs admirably against common UU leads, as I will outline in the threat list later on.
Why this set? The EVs are very precise; after lots of tinkering, I settled on these EVs as a balance of offense and defense. These EVs allow Clefable to ohko 4/0 Roserade after Stealth Rock, and 2hko very physically defensive ones. They allow it to do over 50% to the standard Yanmega, and Yanmega's LO bug buzz does not 2hko (I used to run more s.def to prevent SpecsMega from 2hko'ing, but with it very likely to be banned soon, I moved them into attack to nab the kill on Roserade). Facade also 2hkos Electrode, Ampibom, and all other frail leads, while the defensive EVs prevent most of them from 2hkoing back.
Bulky status leads and scarf sleepers are handled by protecting first to activate toxic orb, setting up rocks and seeing what they switch to. Protect is also useful to scouting choice attacks from the likes of Moltres, Primeape, Honchkrow and others.
Later on in the match Clefable serves as a reasonably effective mixed wall, status absorber and wish passer, which is particularly useful against stall teams (as I need wish to mitigate the impact of entry hazards).
Changes I'm considering: I'm thinking about making Clefable a little bulkier so it can switch in with greater impunity, but I really like the ability to ohko Roserade and especially the 2hko on Yanmega, so I suppose I'll wait to see how the metagame changes after the dragonfly is banned.
Arcanine (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Extremespeed
- Flare Blitz
- Thunder Fang
- Reversal
---
Why this Pokemon? First, the silly reason: Arcanine is my favorite Pokemon, and all of my teams have some version of it. Next, the more important/relevant reason: Arcanine provides an invaluable Fire and Will-o-Wisp immunity on this team, a factor which has won me more games than I can list. One of the players who I regularly face on the UU ladder told me that she experiences an "Oh Shit" moment every time she sees "Arcanine's Flash Fire has raised its fire power!", and for good reason. With a Flash Fire boost, Arcanine's power is absolutely insane. Pokemon who would normally wall Arcanine without a second thought, like Milotic, Altaria and Weezing, are easily 2hko'd (ohko'd in Weezing's case) and anything that does not resist fire will simply die. In my experience, the only common Pokemon that can avoid a 2hko from Flare Blitz after an FF boost are Regirock, Slowbro (who is BARELY not 2hko'd after SR, and if it has taken some minor residual damage, is as good as dead) and the Rock/Water quad resists (in addition, obviously, to other Flash Fire pokemon). And even without a Flash Fire boost, Arcanine's repitore of CB attacks are really nothing to smirk at.
Why this set? The EVs are pretty straightforward. I originally had a bulkier EV set to take FB recoil better, but after getting outsped by a Milotic I decided to just stick with max speed. I'm running Adamant because the 2hko's and ohko's mentioned above do not happen otherwise.
Extremespeed is a very strong priority attack. It lets me kill Swellow and other frail sweepers, and also helps it kill a weakened Azumarill before it can Aqua Jet me. Flare Blitz is obvious STAB. Thunder Fang catches bulky waters on the switch, 2hkoing the most common one (Milotic). Reversal might seem really strange, but there are a few reasons I have it on this set. 1) Arcanine doesn't get anything else worth using except like, Crunch and Iron Head, both of which are relatively useless 2) Between SR damage and FB recoil, Arcanine reaches low health pretty quickly. If it's at 20% or below, which it usually ends up being, I get access to a strong attack that allows me to hit things like Regirock and Omastar very hard. That's worth a slot in my opinion.
Changes I'm considering: Not much. This set is about as streamlined as I can get it. I might reconsider running a slightly bulkier set, but that's about it.
Magneton @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 152 HP/104 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Fire]/Hidden Power [Ice]
- Magnet Rise
- Thunderbolt/Charge Beam
---
Why this Pokemon? Magneton is my steel-trapper. Or, to put it more accurately, my Registeel trapper. It keeps Registeel from running away due to Magnet Pull and the set is focused on rendering it completely helpless and killing it. It may seem strange having a Poke dedicated to killing Registeel when half my team ohkos or 2hkos it, but trust me, that thing is a major pain in the ass and its death will be celebrated by everything on my team, even things that can kill it, as they can use their coverage attacks more freely. Magneton checks Milotic, outspeeding 8 speed variations and 2hkoing with Thunderbolt. It checks Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega if locked into Air Slash, as it is not 2hkod. It also ohkos Slowbro and, from behind a sub, most of the fire types that like to switch in on it.
Why this set? The EVs are tailored to outrun most defensive milotic and other low speed base 80ish pokes while still giving Magneton lots of defensive bulk and offensive power.
Substitute lets Magneton avoid Twave from Registeel (and helps it scout for counters against something it'll force out), and Magnet Rise helps it avoid Earthquakes from Registeel, Donphan, Steelix, etc. The last two moves are still variable right now, and the only significant changes I've been considering to this team. Right now I'm running Tbolt and HP fire. This allows me to hit Roar Steelix really hard before it forces me out (doing over 60% to the standard version) and kill non-curse Registeel effectively. Tbolt can serve a strong STAB attack that I can use to kill Magneton's fiery switchins while safely behind a sub, while also giving it the ability to kill bulky waters easily. However, this set has some trouble with curse Registeel; while on average Tbolt will crit and let me kill it, there are some occasions where it will not crit or where it will crit and do a very low damage roll and allow Registeel to simply rest again. Additionally, HP fire is a poor coverage option compared to HP ice, as Donphan is only 4hko'd by it and so can do its support thing and switch out without dying. Altaria also walls me and forces me out with Perish Song, and Torterra is not ohko'd (defensive versions aren't even 2hko'd). However, I absolutely NEED HP Fire if I don't want to get PP stalled by Curse Registeel. This brings me to the alternate set I'm considering. Replacing Tbolt with Charge Beam and HP Fire with Ice would allow me to very easily beat Curse Registeel and, what's more, possibly have a +4 or +6 Magneton sitting happily behind a sub, ready to kill whatever comes out next. Additionally, HP ice's superior coverage would help me out a great deal. The disadvantage however is that I will no longer have a strong STAB option in emergencies (Charge Beam is as weak as a not-very-effective Tbolt) and while this may seem minor it can, and has, easily lose me matches.
Changes I'm considering: Are outlined above.
Hitmontop (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/4 Def/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
- Pursuit
---
Why this Pokemon? Hitmontop has access to Technician, strong priority options, a powerful STAB move, and pursuit. No other Pokemon in UU has that. Hitmontop is also much, much bulkier than every other fighting type (with the exception of Hariyama, who I used to run in this slot) allowing it to take hits as effectively as it can dish them out. The sheer power of Hitmontop's CB boosted attacks and its ability to take powerful hits should not be underestimated.
Why this set? The EVs are straightforward. Speed EVs are wasted on such a priority-oriented Pokemon, so I put them all into HP to augment Hitmontop's impressive defenses.
Choice Band is used over the more common Life orb for the increased survivability and power, both of which comes in very handy because Hitmontop is my primary Rain Dance team check. It 2hkos or ohkos every commonly used swift swimmer except Qwilfish, and has the defenses to take one unboosted water attack in the rain. It can even take +2 Max attack adamant Kabutops Aqua Jet in the rain and still have plenty of HP to spare, and ohkos back with mach punch. Additionally, Hitmontop functions as my secondary check against fast, frail sweepers. It's also reasonably effective at countering 4/0 DD Feraligatar, as it 2hkos LO variations after SR and one round of LO damage, while surviving +1 LO waterfall.
Ultimately, this set is geared to work like Scizor-lite, as Scizor is one of my favorite Pokemon, and it fills the same niches that Scizor fills in OU (except the unfortunate lack of U-turn).
Changes I'm considering: I might replace Bullet Punch with Rapid Spin, but I really appreciate the ability to 2hko Mismagius with BP, as well as the ability to finish weakened Yanmegas and other fighting resists, and 2hko Roserades and Toxicroaks.
Sceptile (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
---
Why this Pokemon? Sceptile is tied with Dugtrio for the title of 3rd fastest UU pokemon, and unlike Dugtrio it actually has a decent offensive stats and extremely powerful offensive moves. Sceptile checks Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega with the ability to outspeed and ohko it, and is my first line of defense against CroBro (Leaf Storm ohkos even after 2 CMs!). I wanted a strong, fast attacker to dismantle offensive UU teams and slower set up sweepers, and Sceptile was the best possible choice for that.
Why this set? Choice Specs gives Sceptile insane power, rivaling that of SpecsLatias' Draco Meteor (except with a shitty grass type STAB). It also gives it the necessary boost to score some crucial KOs, such as the one on +2 Slowbro mentioned above, as well as the 2hko on Weezing, Toxicroak, and offensive Drapion. Choice Specs Focus Blast 2hko Chansey and Registeel, which is indescribably useful when facing a stall team. It also does massive damage to other less used special walls (Regice, Clefable, LickyLicky) 2hkoing all of them. HP Ice is there for coverage against Altaria (ohko) and other grass types (Venusaur, Roserade, Tangrowth and Leafeon are all 2hkod). Dragon Pulse is stronger as a neutral attack than HP Ice, and does decent damage to any non-steel switch. This prevents my opponent from switching around resists on me. It is also my strongest attack against Moltres.
Changes I'm considering: Replacing Dragon Pulse with Energy Ball. However, Leaf Storm is stronger on average over 2 turns and breaks even over 3 turns, so I do not anticipate using it as much as Dragon Pulse.
Mismagius (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SAtk/4 SDef
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
---
Why this Pokemon? Mismagius is the resident Ghost type. It serves as my only fighting resist and spin blocker. Mismagius can, with proper support from its teammates, easily sweep teams. Any team without a Registeel or Encore Clefable will be very hard pressed to stop it from killing at least one Pokemon, and it can easily wreck Stall if I manage to trap and kill Registeel with Magneton.
Why this set? There a few differences between my set and the standard SubCM set. I max S.atk instead of sticking a few points into HP or Sdef because the power to immediately 2hko Donphan and some Milotic is more valuable to me than the slight chance that some random Pokemon will not be able to break my substitute. I also run Tbolt over HP Fighting for two reasons. 1) Thunderbolt lets me keep 31 speed IVs, allowing me to kill opposing Mismagius (most of whom run HP fighting) before they can touch me and speed tie with them at worst and 2) Thunderbolt deals with Honchkrow, Drapion, and Haze Milotic much more efficiently, while only losing coverage on Registeel (which Missy isn't beating any time soon), Absol (tbolt kills it easily anyway) and Chansey (+6 tbolt 2hkos anyway) and Regirock.
Threat List coming in the next post.
WARNING: This is going to be a very long and thorough RMT!
Without further delay...
Clefable (F) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/116 Atk/140 Def
Careful nature (+SDef, -SAtk)
- Wish
- Stealth Rock
- Protect
- Facade
---
Why this Pokemon? I wanted a lead that was bulky, could set up stealth rock, but still had the option to hit other frail leads very hard. Additionally, it had to have the ability to deal with Ampibom's Fake Out antics and couldn't be crippled by status. After experimenting with various leads that met some but not all of the above criteria, I finally turned my original stallbreak Clefable into a lead with my own specific EVs and moveset. It performs admirably against common UU leads, as I will outline in the threat list later on.
Why this set? The EVs are very precise; after lots of tinkering, I settled on these EVs as a balance of offense and defense. These EVs allow Clefable to ohko 4/0 Roserade after Stealth Rock, and 2hko very physically defensive ones. They allow it to do over 50% to the standard Yanmega, and Yanmega's LO bug buzz does not 2hko (I used to run more s.def to prevent SpecsMega from 2hko'ing, but with it very likely to be banned soon, I moved them into attack to nab the kill on Roserade). Facade also 2hkos Electrode, Ampibom, and all other frail leads, while the defensive EVs prevent most of them from 2hkoing back.
Bulky status leads and scarf sleepers are handled by protecting first to activate toxic orb, setting up rocks and seeing what they switch to. Protect is also useful to scouting choice attacks from the likes of Moltres, Primeape, Honchkrow and others.
Later on in the match Clefable serves as a reasonably effective mixed wall, status absorber and wish passer, which is particularly useful against stall teams (as I need wish to mitigate the impact of entry hazards).
Changes I'm considering: I'm thinking about making Clefable a little bulkier so it can switch in with greater impunity, but I really like the ability to ohko Roserade and especially the 2hko on Yanmega, so I suppose I'll wait to see how the metagame changes after the dragonfly is banned.
Arcanine (F) @ Choice Band
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 Atk/4 Def/252 Spd
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Extremespeed
- Flare Blitz
- Thunder Fang
- Reversal
---
Why this Pokemon? First, the silly reason: Arcanine is my favorite Pokemon, and all of my teams have some version of it. Next, the more important/relevant reason: Arcanine provides an invaluable Fire and Will-o-Wisp immunity on this team, a factor which has won me more games than I can list. One of the players who I regularly face on the UU ladder told me that she experiences an "Oh Shit" moment every time she sees "Arcanine's Flash Fire has raised its fire power!", and for good reason. With a Flash Fire boost, Arcanine's power is absolutely insane. Pokemon who would normally wall Arcanine without a second thought, like Milotic, Altaria and Weezing, are easily 2hko'd (ohko'd in Weezing's case) and anything that does not resist fire will simply die. In my experience, the only common Pokemon that can avoid a 2hko from Flare Blitz after an FF boost are Regirock, Slowbro (who is BARELY not 2hko'd after SR, and if it has taken some minor residual damage, is as good as dead) and the Rock/Water quad resists (in addition, obviously, to other Flash Fire pokemon). And even without a Flash Fire boost, Arcanine's repitore of CB attacks are really nothing to smirk at.
Why this set? The EVs are pretty straightforward. I originally had a bulkier EV set to take FB recoil better, but after getting outsped by a Milotic I decided to just stick with max speed. I'm running Adamant because the 2hko's and ohko's mentioned above do not happen otherwise.
Extremespeed is a very strong priority attack. It lets me kill Swellow and other frail sweepers, and also helps it kill a weakened Azumarill before it can Aqua Jet me. Flare Blitz is obvious STAB. Thunder Fang catches bulky waters on the switch, 2hkoing the most common one (Milotic). Reversal might seem really strange, but there are a few reasons I have it on this set. 1) Arcanine doesn't get anything else worth using except like, Crunch and Iron Head, both of which are relatively useless 2) Between SR damage and FB recoil, Arcanine reaches low health pretty quickly. If it's at 20% or below, which it usually ends up being, I get access to a strong attack that allows me to hit things like Regirock and Omastar very hard. That's worth a slot in my opinion.
Changes I'm considering: Not much. This set is about as streamlined as I can get it. I might reconsider running a slightly bulkier set, but that's about it.
Magneton @ Leftovers
Ability: Magnet Pull
EVs: 152 HP/104 Spd/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Substitute
- Hidden Power [Fire]/Hidden Power [Ice]
- Magnet Rise
- Thunderbolt/Charge Beam
---
Why this Pokemon? Magneton is my steel-trapper. Or, to put it more accurately, my Registeel trapper. It keeps Registeel from running away due to Magnet Pull and the set is focused on rendering it completely helpless and killing it. It may seem strange having a Poke dedicated to killing Registeel when half my team ohkos or 2hkos it, but trust me, that thing is a major pain in the ass and its death will be celebrated by everything on my team, even things that can kill it, as they can use their coverage attacks more freely. Magneton checks Milotic, outspeeding 8 speed variations and 2hkoing with Thunderbolt. It checks Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega if locked into Air Slash, as it is not 2hkod. It also ohkos Slowbro and, from behind a sub, most of the fire types that like to switch in on it.
Why this set? The EVs are tailored to outrun most defensive milotic and other low speed base 80ish pokes while still giving Magneton lots of defensive bulk and offensive power.
Substitute lets Magneton avoid Twave from Registeel (and helps it scout for counters against something it'll force out), and Magnet Rise helps it avoid Earthquakes from Registeel, Donphan, Steelix, etc. The last two moves are still variable right now, and the only significant changes I've been considering to this team. Right now I'm running Tbolt and HP fire. This allows me to hit Roar Steelix really hard before it forces me out (doing over 60% to the standard version) and kill non-curse Registeel effectively. Tbolt can serve a strong STAB attack that I can use to kill Magneton's fiery switchins while safely behind a sub, while also giving it the ability to kill bulky waters easily. However, this set has some trouble with curse Registeel; while on average Tbolt will crit and let me kill it, there are some occasions where it will not crit or where it will crit and do a very low damage roll and allow Registeel to simply rest again. Additionally, HP fire is a poor coverage option compared to HP ice, as Donphan is only 4hko'd by it and so can do its support thing and switch out without dying. Altaria also walls me and forces me out with Perish Song, and Torterra is not ohko'd (defensive versions aren't even 2hko'd). However, I absolutely NEED HP Fire if I don't want to get PP stalled by Curse Registeel. This brings me to the alternate set I'm considering. Replacing Tbolt with Charge Beam and HP Fire with Ice would allow me to very easily beat Curse Registeel and, what's more, possibly have a +4 or +6 Magneton sitting happily behind a sub, ready to kill whatever comes out next. Additionally, HP ice's superior coverage would help me out a great deal. The disadvantage however is that I will no longer have a strong STAB option in emergencies (Charge Beam is as weak as a not-very-effective Tbolt) and while this may seem minor it can, and has, easily lose me matches.
Changes I'm considering: Are outlined above.
Hitmontop (M) @ Choice Band
Ability: Technician
EVs: 248 HP/252 Atk/4 Def/4 SDef
Adamant nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Bullet Punch
- Close Combat
- Mach Punch
- Pursuit
---
Why this Pokemon? Hitmontop has access to Technician, strong priority options, a powerful STAB move, and pursuit. No other Pokemon in UU has that. Hitmontop is also much, much bulkier than every other fighting type (with the exception of Hariyama, who I used to run in this slot) allowing it to take hits as effectively as it can dish them out. The sheer power of Hitmontop's CB boosted attacks and its ability to take powerful hits should not be underestimated.
Why this set? The EVs are straightforward. Speed EVs are wasted on such a priority-oriented Pokemon, so I put them all into HP to augment Hitmontop's impressive defenses.
Choice Band is used over the more common Life orb for the increased survivability and power, both of which comes in very handy because Hitmontop is my primary Rain Dance team check. It 2hkos or ohkos every commonly used swift swimmer except Qwilfish, and has the defenses to take one unboosted water attack in the rain. It can even take +2 Max attack adamant Kabutops Aqua Jet in the rain and still have plenty of HP to spare, and ohkos back with mach punch. Additionally, Hitmontop functions as my secondary check against fast, frail sweepers. It's also reasonably effective at countering 4/0 DD Feraligatar, as it 2hkos LO variations after SR and one round of LO damage, while surviving +1 LO waterfall.
Ultimately, this set is geared to work like Scizor-lite, as Scizor is one of my favorite Pokemon, and it fills the same niches that Scizor fills in OU (except the unfortunate lack of U-turn).
Changes I'm considering: I might replace Bullet Punch with Rapid Spin, but I really appreciate the ability to 2hko Mismagius with BP, as well as the ability to finish weakened Yanmegas and other fighting resists, and 2hko Roserades and Toxicroaks.
Sceptile (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 4 Def/252 Spd/252 SAtk
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Dragon Pulse
- Focus Blast
---
Why this Pokemon? Sceptile is tied with Dugtrio for the title of 3rd fastest UU pokemon, and unlike Dugtrio it actually has a decent offensive stats and extremely powerful offensive moves. Sceptile checks Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega with the ability to outspeed and ohko it, and is my first line of defense against CroBro (Leaf Storm ohkos even after 2 CMs!). I wanted a strong, fast attacker to dismantle offensive UU teams and slower set up sweepers, and Sceptile was the best possible choice for that.
Why this set? Choice Specs gives Sceptile insane power, rivaling that of SpecsLatias' Draco Meteor (except with a shitty grass type STAB). It also gives it the necessary boost to score some crucial KOs, such as the one on +2 Slowbro mentioned above, as well as the 2hko on Weezing, Toxicroak, and offensive Drapion. Choice Specs Focus Blast 2hko Chansey and Registeel, which is indescribably useful when facing a stall team. It also does massive damage to other less used special walls (Regice, Clefable, LickyLicky) 2hkoing all of them. HP Ice is there for coverage against Altaria (ohko) and other grass types (Venusaur, Roserade, Tangrowth and Leafeon are all 2hkod). Dragon Pulse is stronger as a neutral attack than HP Ice, and does decent damage to any non-steel switch. This prevents my opponent from switching around resists on me. It is also my strongest attack against Moltres.
Changes I'm considering: Replacing Dragon Pulse with Energy Ball. However, Leaf Storm is stronger on average over 2 turns and breaks even over 3 turns, so I do not anticipate using it as much as Dragon Pulse.
Mismagius (F) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 Spd/252 SAtk/4 SDef
Timid nature (+Spd, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Shadow Ball
- Thunderbolt
- Substitute
---
Why this Pokemon? Mismagius is the resident Ghost type. It serves as my only fighting resist and spin blocker. Mismagius can, with proper support from its teammates, easily sweep teams. Any team without a Registeel or Encore Clefable will be very hard pressed to stop it from killing at least one Pokemon, and it can easily wreck Stall if I manage to trap and kill Registeel with Magneton.
Why this set? There a few differences between my set and the standard SubCM set. I max S.atk instead of sticking a few points into HP or Sdef because the power to immediately 2hko Donphan and some Milotic is more valuable to me than the slight chance that some random Pokemon will not be able to break my substitute. I also run Tbolt over HP Fighting for two reasons. 1) Thunderbolt lets me keep 31 speed IVs, allowing me to kill opposing Mismagius (most of whom run HP fighting) before they can touch me and speed tie with them at worst and 2) Thunderbolt deals with Honchkrow, Drapion, and Haze Milotic much more efficiently, while only losing coverage on Registeel (which Missy isn't beating any time soon), Absol (tbolt kills it easily anyway) and Chansey (+6 tbolt 2hkos anyway) and Regirock.
Threat List coming in the next post.
