I created this team for two main reasons. The first was that I wanted to try out antisun Drifblim, who I had heard good thing about, and figured would be reall great with the abundance of sun in the current meta. I was also keen to build a really successful UU team, because the highest peak I'd ever gotten in any tier at the time was #42, and I didn't see myself going back to OU for a while. It's really really boring with the dominance of weather, something which is nowhere near as prominent in UU.
The team is really good. It got me to #26 with a rating of 1314 under the alt -273.15c, and I believe that with a few tweaks it can go a lot higher. As mentioned, the basis was antisun Drifblim, who is, overall, an amzing Pokemon. If drought is banned, as I suspect it might be, I will use him no longer, but until then he's here to stay. I also wanted to test Yanmega, because I felt that speed boost gave it huge utility versus, you guessed it, sun, and STAB Air Slash and Bug Buzz make short work of the Psychics and Grasses which are running rampant.
The team is really good. It got me to #26 with a rating of 1314 under the alt -273.15c, and I believe that with a few tweaks it can go a lot higher. As mentioned, the basis was antisun Drifblim, who is, overall, an amzing Pokemon. If drought is banned, as I suspect it might be, I will use him no longer, but until then he's here to stay. I also wanted to test Yanmega, because I felt that speed boost gave it huge utility versus, you guessed it, sun, and STAB Air Slash and Bug Buzz make short work of the Psychics and Grasses which are running rampant.
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I started with Drifblim and Yanmega, because as a tag-team they handily crush the standard sun team, both being able to outrun and hit with STAB SE attacks.
The next pokemon I added was Scarf Staraptor, because I had used the Choice Band version before and been very impressed. It also acted as a third failsafe versus Sun, all but ensuring the Chloropyllers don't get to sweep. On top of that, it is a fantastic lategame cleaner with Scarf Brave Bird.
Next up was Choice Band Kyurem. It's not a common set, but it lures and kills Chansey, muscles through Slowbro, and has the raw power to 2HKO Empoleon. That made it a very attractive proposition, since all three were stall staples and very annoying to face. (It 2HKO's Deoxys-D too IIRC, but I believe you can do that with Draco Meteor and Outrage just as easy) It added some real musle to the team that was lacking so far, and with very impressive bulk it can take a couple of hit's too, something which is really nice in a Choiced Pokemon, especially one with Outrage.
The 5th member was Choice Band Hitmonlee. I still didn't have a whole lot of muscle in the team, and Choice Band Reckless Hi-Jump Kick provides this very well indeed. Many common Psychic types are 2HKO'd despite the resist, so once Ghosts are eliminated you can spam to your hearts content. It also had STAB choice Band Mach Punch, which puts a huge dent in Kyurem, and I believe can take it out if it is at -1 def having been passed a SS.
The final member, Ambipom, is probably the weakest link. I added it on the grounds that you couldn't go wrong with STAB Technician Fake Out, and it has proved useful on a couple of occasions, but I could really use some bulk, and he doesn't provide that at all. I'm considering some sort of Curselax in his place, because a setup mon to bust through really defensive teams would be appreciated.
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The Team at a glance:
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Yanmega (F) @ Life Orb Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Protect
- Air Slash
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Yanmega is the Pokemon that most often serves as my lead, primarily because of the abundance of lead psychic types in the current metagame. It also has Protect to beat Fake Out, and against leads where I suspect a sash I can try for a flinch with Air Slash. The EV spread is really simple, maximizing speed and power. I'm modest and not timid because it helps vs. random psychics and I don't worry about speed since protect give me +1 anyway. Bug Buzz and Air slash are pretty obvious, simple effective STABs. HP Fire is there because steels are a bitch and it hits Zapdos for slightly more than Bug Buzz, though I would usually BB anyway in case I randomly get a spdef drop or something. Life Orb is there because without it there is too much stuff that just barely survives. I'm not going to list because tbh i cba but believe me it's worth it.
'Mega is pretty good versus Lead Abomasnow, but it will usually regress into a prediction war because If it's scarfed I need to protect first turn so I outspeed, and If it has Sub Protecting is basically stupid and will usually cost me my Yanmega. Still, since there are few players at the top of the ladder, I will avoid this mistake twice. It is not too difficult to remember what set x's Mr Freeze is running, especially as there is very rarely more than two hail teams at the top of the ladder online at once. Versus Vulpix, they always lead with it thinking they can just Flamethrower me, so I will go to Hitmonlees for the quick OHKO with HJK. I don't like leading versus Froslass, because that's even more awkward than Abomasnow, so I will typically Outrage off the bat with Kyurem, unless I see something that could easily revenge. In that case Hitmonlee can hit it with Stone Edge, though I typically don't like to be locked into SE early. (More on that later.) Versus Staraptor, they are usually Choice Band, so I can use my own Staraptor for a quick KO. Ambipom can also take it out with little difficulty. Against the occasional other lead Choice Band or Specs 'x' I can protect to scout and then go to the appropriate 'mon to take them out. Versus the odd lead Donphan, you just Bug Buzz as the SR expecting protect and then KO while they fail to take you out with Ice Shard.
Hitmonlee (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
The first (technically second by teeambuilding order but wth) part of my team's muscle. Hi jump Kick hits like a fucking truck. That is all. In seriousness, You 2HKO some Wobbuffet, basically all nonresistors and put severe dents in everything that can take two hits. Ghosts are a problem, since 50% damage combined with his fratility is never fun, but once I have them eliminated (usually with a CB Outrage or somesuch) stuff dies a lot. Once again, the EV's are very simple. Hitmonlee is decently fast, so non-scarf Adamant Heracross sits neatly in the firing line, among other things. The moveset is how it is because I don't really have any alternatives. HJK is your power move, and boosted by Reckless and the Choice Band, it's REALLY strong. I have done 90%+ to offensive Nidoking before, and any Snorlax hoping to set up on the rest of the team are ripped to pieces. Mach Punch because strong fighting type priority in UU is like gold dust, thanks to Kyurem being on basically every single team that isn't sun, which just loses horribly anyway. Stone Edge and EQ are both fillers - they hit ghosts I guess, and if they're SE and HJK is resisted, they're stronger, but beyond that they never get used. Smacking Zapdos with Stone Edge is pretty decent, but it take upwards of 50% from HJK anyway iirc so you can beat it down that way. As a side note, I usually don't like to get locked into Stone Edge early, because this team does not like rock-type attacks at all, and certain Rock or Ground types in particular like to set up and abuse that fact.
Aside from Ambipom, Hitmonlee is probably the other weak link, so I'm considering trying an Escavalier in his place. It retains pretty much all the power, is infinitely more bulky and resists dragon, but it doesn't have smexy priority to pick things off with. I guess it still beats Kyurem easily, but I have used teams with no priority before (assuming I replace Ambipom) and being swept by a guy with like 1% left is just ass. I would also lose a strong fighting type and with it my pirmary way of dealing with steels, so if I replace Hitmonlee I'm probably going to use something that can hit said steels hard over Ambi.
Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- U-turn
- Low Sweep
So, to the weak link. I'm sure Ambipom is a great Pokemon, and it has sometimes managed to pull through for me, but never to the degree of the others. I have never been in a situation where I've brought out ambipom and just swept the rest of my opponents team. Low Sweep is nice vs. the odd steel, but it's predictable, and Ambi's lack of ability to hit ghosts is easily exploited. The pairing of a Ghost and a Steel give me a lot of trouble (more on this later) and 'pom is really just accentuating this problem. I could replace it with Hitmontop, but that doesn't offer enough of an offensive presence for me, and can only hit ghosts with Sucker Punch, which doesn't help me. I could consider Cobalion, but if I use Escavalier, fire will already be inconvenient. Taunt/SD is nice for its stallbreaking prowess though.
Anyway, I was supposed to be talking about Ambipom, not the things I could replace it with. Fake Out + LO = lots of free damage, which is pretty cool. Return because Double Hit is like 1 base power for 10 accuracy, which is toatally not worth it. Technician Low Sweep is really trolly, and can at least kill steels, though it's rare that I'll actually hit one with it. U-turn because momentum is pretty cool, and it does at least damage ghost types slightly. I'm Adamant because I don't know of anything that I would beat better with Jolly, so if you do, let me know.
Ambipom occasionally acts as a lead, if I feel Yanmega cannot win. Fake Out + Return Kills Choice Band Staraptor, but then they always pull Scarf Out of the bag and rip me to pieces with Brave Bird. If there is a double KO, Ambipom is a natural responce, because Fake Out + U-turn covers most of the stuff that people like to choose in such circumstances. However, if I'm facing a sun team, something with a Flying move is usually my prefered 'blind switch'.
Staraptor (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
I would like to be using Flygon in this spot. I really would. He is, after all, my absolute favourite. However, the little green dragon struggles to compete with this bad boy. There is very little about the set that is unusual or suprising. Jolly max speed Choice Scarf because this is a revenge killer, and max Attack Reckless because this is all about killing shit, not messing around making funny looks. Brave Bird is one of the best moves in the game, combining excellent coverage (esp. in UU) with great spammability. Close Combat can kill annoying Rock and Steel Types, and doesn't kill you with recoil in three turns, but is significantly weaker. Double Edge breaks every Electric type in UU except I think some very defensive Rotom-A and Zapdos. Between it, BB and CC, there is very little that resists your attacks. U-turn is half filler move, half occasional godsend. Most of the time I prefer to just smack the switching with a Brave Bird for a big chunk, but then you have games where if hold the key to a crucial little bit of momentum and secures you the match. There's nothing much that could go there anyway, except I guess Roost or something, but choiced healing is really meh.
Staraptor rounds out both my Anti-Lead and Anti-Sun trios. Under then sun, Tangrowth is outsped and smashed, while few unboosted Chlorophyllers can OHKO even if they do outrun. Sawsbuck does beat it but I don't really care because Sawsbuck is an invitation for Drifblim to come it and start being a bitch, so you can serve as a nice little sun deterant. You also 1-shot Victini after a drop, meaning for the most part you can come in after something has died and then the opponent gets to pick which of their Pokemon is least valuable. The best part is like every cookie cutter sun team is just Vulpix/Victini/Hitmontop/Chloropyller/Chloropyller/Chloro-filler and they have like no flying resist so you just fuck their day up. <3 Flying types in UU.
Kyurem @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Shadow Claw
- Draco Meteor
Really wierd set lol but it works so I'm keeping it for now, unless I get a more Pro suggestion. Another really uncomplex EV spread (do you see the theme?) but it gets the job done. Outrage is basically the only move to ever use because people are n00bs and blindly switch in chansey to get assraped. It 2HKO's almost everything stally which likes to switch in, with the notable and very annoying exception of Registeel. Shadow Claw had like horribly niche use in breaking Froslass' dumb subs without geting Outrage-stalled, and I guess it also hit's psychic types decently if you are trying to avoid x Pokemon that will kill you as soon as you lock yourslef into Outrage, but beyond that it has no utility. I have never used stone edge but in theory it's tronger than Outrage if SE, so I guess that could be useful. Shitty accuracy + low PP mean Outrage will usually be the only worthwhile choice anyway. Draco Meteor is in the last slot because Kyurem can only learn three physical moves and I suppose in some really obscure situation vs. like a steelix it probably does a little bit more. For the most part you just spam Outrage though and then things die. Certaintly, vs a team with no dragon resist (like this one) Kyurem will, played right, kill somebody. there isn't anything non-steel that doesn't get 2HKO'd regardless.
Kyurem (and to a certain extent Hitmonlee) also has great synergy with Drifblim, because thanks to 'Blim's 4th move, Tailwind, it can offer up a last piece of assitance. When you have +2 speed vs. like Sun you just shred them. 95 base is fast than most every abuser, though you only tie with Adamant max speed Buck and are outrun by Jolly. Still, most people use HP investment because they think well there' sno situation in which the speed helps me and I can suffer less recoil that way. I guess there are probably some really fast ones with Return, but they die easily to Drifblim anyway. Thanks to its very respectable bulk, you can also live nonsun scarf V-create, though that's pretty situational. In some ways, Kyurem is the glue of the team, because of it's ability to take a hit and dish out a whole lot of pain in return. Also an impromtu stallbreaker because everyone's steel is like Empoleon and it just dies and then they're like lol wtf.
Drifblim (M) @ Flight Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Tailwind
And here he is, the star of the show. From when I first knew of this Pokemon, I thought it was a really cool idea, and it does not disapoint on the battlefield. The intial Acrobat is strong enough that you at worst 2HKO everything on a standard sun team, and from there you can sow chaos as you see fit. Victini does OHKO you with V-create but it's can't switch in turn one and then Destiny Bond is horrible for it because it is almost certaintly either choice or 4 attacks. Will-O-Wisp because burning stuff is always fun, and give you utility versus teams that don't carry Vulpix. EV spread hits 500 speed after Acrobatics with maximum power and pretty good bulk. Talwind is in the last slot because Explosion is pretty shitty and doesn't actually kill much anyway, and Tailwind is good if you're about to die to say status to allow the switchin exceptional speed. I wish I could write more, but there is really nothing that notable. You switch in on Sawsbuck or some other Sleep-Powderless Chloropyller (or Hitmontop), fire off the inital Acrobat and p[roceed to cause as much damage as possible until you are sure you're about to die, at which point you Dbond. Versus Victreebel if you are worried about Sucker Punch for whatever reason you can Destiny Bond on the first punch and then safely Acrobatics knowing it dies either way. Drifblim is generally very good against UU sun, and certaintly if it's something your team has trouble with then use the hell out of it.
Thanks for reading!
The Team at a glance:
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Yanmega (F) @ Life Orb Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Protect
- Air Slash
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Yanmega is the Pokemon that most often serves as my lead, primarily because of the abundance of lead psychic types in the current metagame. It also has Protect to beat Fake Out, and against leads where I suspect a sash I can try for a flinch with Air Slash. The EV spread is really simple, maximizing speed and power. I'm modest and not timid because it helps vs. random psychics and I don't worry about speed since protect give me +1 anyway. Bug Buzz and Air slash are pretty obvious, simple effective STABs. HP Fire is there because steels are a bitch and it hits Zapdos for slightly more than Bug Buzz, though I would usually BB anyway in case I randomly get a spdef drop or something. Life Orb is there because without it there is too much stuff that just barely survives. I'm not going to list because tbh i cba but believe me it's worth it.
'Mega is pretty good versus Lead Abomasnow, but it will usually regress into a prediction war because If it's scarfed I need to protect first turn so I outspeed, and If it has Sub Protecting is basically stupid and will usually cost me my Yanmega. Still, since there are few players at the top of the ladder, I will avoid this mistake twice. It is not too difficult to remember what set x's Mr Freeze is running, especially as there is very rarely more than two hail teams at the top of the ladder online at once. Versus Vulpix, they always lead with it thinking they can just Flamethrower me, so I will go to Hitmonlees for the quick OHKO with HJK. I don't like leading versus Froslass, because that's even more awkward than Abomasnow, so I will typically Outrage off the bat with Kyurem, unless I see something that could easily revenge. In that case Hitmonlee can hit it with Stone Edge, though I typically don't like to be locked into SE early. (More on that later.) Versus Staraptor, they are usually Choice Band, so I can use my own Staraptor for a quick KO. Ambipom can also take it out with little difficulty. Against the occasional other lead Choice Band or Specs 'x' I can protect to scout and then go to the appropriate 'mon to take them out. Versus the odd lead Donphan, you just Bug Buzz as the SR expecting protect and then KO while they fail to take you out with Ice Shard.
Hitmonlee (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
The first (technically second by teeambuilding order but wth) part of my team's muscle. Hi jump Kick hits like a fucking truck. That is all. In seriousness, You 2HKO some Wobbuffet, basically all nonresistors and put severe dents in everything that can take two hits. Ghosts are a problem, since 50% damage combined with his fratility is never fun, but once I have them eliminated (usually with a CB Outrage or somesuch) stuff dies a lot. Once again, the EV's are very simple. Hitmonlee is decently fast, so non-scarf Adamant Heracross sits neatly in the firing line, among other things. The moveset is how it is because I don't really have any alternatives. HJK is your power move, and boosted by Reckless and the Choice Band, it's REALLY strong. I have done 90%+ to offensive Nidoking before, and any Snorlax hoping to set up on the rest of the team are ripped to pieces. Mach Punch because strong fighting type priority in UU is like gold dust, thanks to Kyurem being on basically every single team that isn't sun, which just loses horribly anyway. Stone Edge and EQ are both fillers - they hit ghosts I guess, and if they're SE and HJK is resisted, they're stronger, but beyond that they never get used. Smacking Zapdos with Stone Edge is pretty decent, but it take upwards of 50% from HJK anyway iirc so you can beat it down that way. As a side note, I usually don't like to get locked into Stone Edge early, because this team does not like rock-type attacks at all, and certain Rock or Ground types in particular like to set up and abuse that fact.
Aside from Ambipom, Hitmonlee is probably the other weak link, so I'm considering trying an Escavalier in his place. It retains pretty much all the power, is infinitely more bulky and resists dragon, but it doesn't have smexy priority to pick things off with. I guess it still beats Kyurem easily, but I have used teams with no priority before (assuming I replace Ambipom) and being swept by a guy with like 1% left is just ass. I would also lose a strong fighting type and with it my pirmary way of dealing with steels, so if I replace Hitmonlee I'm probably going to use something that can hit said steels hard over Ambi.
Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- U-turn
- Low Sweep
So, to the weak link. I'm sure Ambipom is a great Pokemon, and it has sometimes managed to pull through for me, but never to the degree of the others. I have never been in a situation where I've brought out ambipom and just swept the rest of my opponents team. Low Sweep is nice vs. the odd steel, but it's predictable, and Ambi's lack of ability to hit ghosts is easily exploited. The pairing of a Ghost and a Steel give me a lot of trouble (more on this later) and 'pom is really just accentuating this problem. I could replace it with Hitmontop, but that doesn't offer enough of an offensive presence for me, and can only hit ghosts with Sucker Punch, which doesn't help me. I could consider Cobalion, but if I use Escavalier, fire will already be inconvenient. Taunt/SD is nice for its stallbreaking prowess though.
Anyway, I was supposed to be talking about Ambipom, not the things I could replace it with. Fake Out + LO = lots of free damage, which is pretty cool. Return because Double Hit is like 1 base power for 10 accuracy, which is toatally not worth it. Technician Low Sweep is really trolly, and can at least kill steels, though it's rare that I'll actually hit one with it. U-turn because momentum is pretty cool, and it does at least damage ghost types slightly. I'm Adamant because I don't know of anything that I would beat better with Jolly, so if you do, let me know.
Ambipom occasionally acts as a lead, if I feel Yanmega cannot win. Fake Out + Return Kills Choice Band Staraptor, but then they always pull Scarf Out of the bag and rip me to pieces with Brave Bird. If there is a double KO, Ambipom is a natural responce, because Fake Out + U-turn covers most of the stuff that people like to choose in such circumstances. However, if I'm facing a sun team, something with a Flying move is usually my prefered 'blind switch'.
Staraptor (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
I would like to be using Flygon in this spot. I really would. He is, after all, my absolute favourite. However, the little green dragon struggles to compete with this bad boy. There is very little about the set that is unusual or suprising. Jolly max speed Choice Scarf because this is a revenge killer, and max Attack Reckless because this is all about killing shit, not messing around making funny looks. Brave Bird is one of the best moves in the game, combining excellent coverage (esp. in UU) with great spammability. Close Combat can kill annoying Rock and Steel Types, and doesn't kill you with recoil in three turns, but is significantly weaker. Double Edge breaks every Electric type in UU except I think some very defensive Rotom-A and Zapdos. Between it, BB and CC, there is very little that resists your attacks. U-turn is half filler move, half occasional godsend. Most of the time I prefer to just smack the switching with a Brave Bird for a big chunk, but then you have games where if hold the key to a crucial little bit of momentum and secures you the match. There's nothing much that could go there anyway, except I guess Roost or something, but choiced healing is really meh.
Staraptor rounds out both my Anti-Lead and Anti-Sun trios. Under then sun, Tangrowth is outsped and smashed, while few unboosted Chlorophyllers can OHKO even if they do outrun. Sawsbuck does beat it but I don't really care because Sawsbuck is an invitation for Drifblim to come it and start being a bitch, so you can serve as a nice little sun deterant. You also 1-shot Victini after a drop, meaning for the most part you can come in after something has died and then the opponent gets to pick which of their Pokemon is least valuable. The best part is like every cookie cutter sun team is just Vulpix/Victini/Hitmontop/Chloropyller/Chloropyller/Chloro-filler and they have like no flying resist so you just fuck their day up. <3 Flying types in UU.
Kyurem @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Shadow Claw
- Draco Meteor
Really wierd set lol but it works so I'm keeping it for now, unless I get a more Pro suggestion. Another really uncomplex EV spread (do you see the theme?) but it gets the job done. Outrage is basically the only move to ever use because people are n00bs and blindly switch in chansey to get assraped. It 2HKO's almost everything stally which likes to switch in, with the notable and very annoying exception of Registeel. Shadow Claw had like horribly niche use in breaking Froslass' dumb subs without geting Outrage-stalled, and I guess it also hit's psychic types decently if you are trying to avoid x Pokemon that will kill you as soon as you lock yourslef into Outrage, but beyond that it has no utility. I have never used stone edge but in theory it's tronger than Outrage if SE, so I guess that could be useful. Shitty accuracy + low PP mean Outrage will usually be the only worthwhile choice anyway. Draco Meteor is in the last slot because Kyurem can only learn three physical moves and I suppose in some really obscure situation vs. like a steelix it probably does a little bit more. For the most part you just spam Outrage though and then things die. Certaintly, vs a team with no dragon resist (like this one) Kyurem will, played right, kill somebody. there isn't anything non-steel that doesn't get 2HKO'd regardless.
Kyurem (and to a certain extent Hitmonlee) also has great synergy with Drifblim, because thanks to 'Blim's 4th move, Tailwind, it can offer up a last piece of assitance. When you have +2 speed vs. like Sun you just shred them. 95 base is fast than most every abuser, though you only tie with Adamant max speed Buck and are outrun by Jolly. Still, most people use HP investment because they think well there' sno situation in which the speed helps me and I can suffer less recoil that way. I guess there are probably some really fast ones with Return, but they die easily to Drifblim anyway. Thanks to its very respectable bulk, you can also live nonsun scarf V-create, though that's pretty situational. In some ways, Kyurem is the glue of the team, because of it's ability to take a hit and dish out a whole lot of pain in return. Also an impromtu stallbreaker because everyone's steel is like Empoleon and it just dies and then they're like lol wtf.
Drifblim (M) @ Flight Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Tailwind
And here he is, the star of the show. From when I first knew of this Pokemon, I thought it was a really cool idea, and it does not disapoint on the battlefield. The intial Acrobat is strong enough that you at worst 2HKO everything on a standard sun team, and from there you can sow chaos as you see fit. Victini does OHKO you with V-create but it's can't switch in turn one and then Destiny Bond is horrible for it because it is almost certaintly either choice or 4 attacks. Will-O-Wisp because burning stuff is always fun, and give you utility versus teams that don't carry Vulpix. EV spread hits 500 speed after Acrobatics with maximum power and pretty good bulk. Talwind is in the last slot because Explosion is pretty shitty and doesn't actually kill much anyway, and Tailwind is good if you're about to die to say status to allow the switchin exceptional speed. I wish I could write more, but there is really nothing that notable. You switch in on Sawsbuck or some other Sleep-Powderless Chloropyller (or Hitmontop), fire off the inital Acrobat and p[roceed to cause as much damage as possible until you are sure you're about to die, at which point you Dbond. Versus Victreebel if you are worried about Sucker Punch for whatever reason you can Destiny Bond on the first punch and then safely Acrobatics knowing it dies either way. Drifblim is generally very good against UU sun, and certaintly if it's something your team has trouble with then use the hell out of it.
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Yanmega (F) @ Life Orb Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Protect
- Air Slash
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Hitmonlee (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- U-turn
- Low Sweep
Staraptor (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
Kyurem @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Shadow Claw
- Draco Meteor
Drifblim (M) @ Flight Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Tailwind
EVs: 4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Protect
- Air Slash
- Bug Buzz
- Hidden Power [Fire]
Hitmonlee (M) @ Choice Band
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Hi Jump Kick
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
- Mach Punch
Ambipom (M) @ Life Orb
Trait: Technician
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Fake Out
- Return
- U-turn
- Low Sweep
Staraptor (F) @ Choice Scarf
Trait: Reckless
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Brave Bird
- Close Combat
- Double-Edge
- U-turn
Kyurem @ Choice Band
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 Atk / 252 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Outrage
- Stone Edge
- Shadow Claw
- Draco Meteor
Drifblim (M) @ Flight Gem
Trait: Unburden
EVs: 40 HP / 252 Atk / 216 Spd
Adamant Nature (+Atk, -SAtk)
- Acrobatics
- Will-O-Wisp
- Destiny Bond
- Tailwind
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
Threat Summary:
Stuff which looks like it beats me which doesn't (+ I want to write about how badly sun dies too!):
Victini - If you were to simply glance at my list of Pokemon, you might suggest that I am very weak to Scarf Victini in sunlight. It's true that it will kill something every time it comes in. But that's ok, because in return, Staraptor will kill something too. After the drop, the only think on the average sun team that can take a Brave Bird can no longer take a Brave Bird, and I now outrun Vicitini too. Sure, I'll lose a Pokemon to it, but they'll lose a Pokemon too. That's a pretty fair trade off, particularly as I will usually have something which isn't hugely useful vs. sun anyway, so I have no qualms about sacing something in return for a crucial member of their team.
Sun - Well this team is designed to shit on sun and it really shows. The only sun team I've lost to, it was one of my first games with the team and I didn't have Unburden on Drifblim. Sun if always an intersting opponent because their team is built from the mindset that they are faster than most everything, and this is easy to exploit. Sawsbuck is very common and my favourite chlorophyller to see because it basically ensure Drifblim will kill something. Gem+nongem Acrobatics kills Victini, while all but Tangrowth of the Chlorophyllers are killed by ordinary Acrobatics. Shifty is annoying to face but if you predict around it it is beatable. Destiny Bond+Acrobatics neuters any attempt at Sucker Punching, and I don't think it can kill you with unboosted Dark Pulse/whatever.
The other two sun-killers on this team are perhaps slightly less potent, but nevertheless great at annoying Drought. Yanmega cannot muscle past most fire types, but versus Chlorophyll it needs but a couple of boosts to start causing vavoc. Special Defense is the weaker sides of the usual grasses, and that means the combination of Bug Buzz+Air Slash rips big holes in everything. As mentioned, Staraptor plays a little diffirently from the other two because it is not quite as fast. It's utility lies more in switching in on something which cannot take the Brave Bird and then hitting something for massive damage. It does, however, outrun Tangrowth, so in a pinch you can take that out fine.
Stuff that is actually threatening/a problem:
Hail - I swear Kyurem is such bs. With a scarf, it outruns my whole team except Staraptor, and most of them dies in a single hit to it. If Yanmega already has +1 when It comes in I can protect for the SB and then hit it with Bug Buzz for enough to ensure Staraptor takes it out, and Mach Punch does hit it really hard, but it's no less anoying for that. Versions without a CS are easy because Ambipom does a huge amount of damage with Fake Out + Low Sweep. Froslass can also be really annoying by spamming sub and wasting pp on everything, though I am decent at playing around it. This is a big reason to use Escavalier over Hitmonlee.
Steel + Ghost Combination - This is something else that REALLY annoys me. All of my fighting moves are choice except Ambipom's Ankle Sweep, but he can't hit ghosts at all anyway. In particular, I have fought the combination of Registeel and Mismagius and it is horrible for this team to face. It is not unbeatable, but it forces me to make predictions and in doing so hands momentum to my opponent. To remedy this, I would like to replace Ambipom with a more competent Stallbreaker. I have been meaning to try out Taunt+W-o-W Mew, so I will give that a try, and I guess Taunt/Swords Dance Cobalion could also do pretty nicely.
Anyway I feel like I'm forgetting something so I'll probably update again later but wth. I'm also going to test rain dance over Tailwind on Drifblim provided it gets it because that seems like a more permanent and arguably more useful alternative.
Stuff which looks like it beats me which doesn't (+ I want to write about how badly sun dies too!):
Victini - If you were to simply glance at my list of Pokemon, you might suggest that I am very weak to Scarf Victini in sunlight. It's true that it will kill something every time it comes in. But that's ok, because in return, Staraptor will kill something too. After the drop, the only think on the average sun team that can take a Brave Bird can no longer take a Brave Bird, and I now outrun Vicitini too. Sure, I'll lose a Pokemon to it, but they'll lose a Pokemon too. That's a pretty fair trade off, particularly as I will usually have something which isn't hugely useful vs. sun anyway, so I have no qualms about sacing something in return for a crucial member of their team.
Sun - Well this team is designed to shit on sun and it really shows. The only sun team I've lost to, it was one of my first games with the team and I didn't have Unburden on Drifblim. Sun if always an intersting opponent because their team is built from the mindset that they are faster than most everything, and this is easy to exploit. Sawsbuck is very common and my favourite chlorophyller to see because it basically ensure Drifblim will kill something. Gem+nongem Acrobatics kills Victini, while all but Tangrowth of the Chlorophyllers are killed by ordinary Acrobatics. Shifty is annoying to face but if you predict around it it is beatable. Destiny Bond+Acrobatics neuters any attempt at Sucker Punching, and I don't think it can kill you with unboosted Dark Pulse/whatever.
The other two sun-killers on this team are perhaps slightly less potent, but nevertheless great at annoying Drought. Yanmega cannot muscle past most fire types, but versus Chlorophyll it needs but a couple of boosts to start causing vavoc. Special Defense is the weaker sides of the usual grasses, and that means the combination of Bug Buzz+Air Slash rips big holes in everything. As mentioned, Staraptor plays a little diffirently from the other two because it is not quite as fast. It's utility lies more in switching in on something which cannot take the Brave Bird and then hitting something for massive damage. It does, however, outrun Tangrowth, so in a pinch you can take that out fine.
Stuff that is actually threatening/a problem:
Hail - I swear Kyurem is such bs. With a scarf, it outruns my whole team except Staraptor, and most of them dies in a single hit to it. If Yanmega already has +1 when It comes in I can protect for the SB and then hit it with Bug Buzz for enough to ensure Staraptor takes it out, and Mach Punch does hit it really hard, but it's no less anoying for that. Versions without a CS are easy because Ambipom does a huge amount of damage with Fake Out + Low Sweep. Froslass can also be really annoying by spamming sub and wasting pp on everything, though I am decent at playing around it. This is a big reason to use Escavalier over Hitmonlee.
Steel + Ghost Combination - This is something else that REALLY annoys me. All of my fighting moves are choice except Ambipom's Ankle Sweep, but he can't hit ghosts at all anyway. In particular, I have fought the combination of Registeel and Mismagius and it is horrible for this team to face. It is not unbeatable, but it forces me to make predictions and in doing so hands momentum to my opponent. To remedy this, I would like to replace Ambipom with a more competent Stallbreaker. I have been meaning to try out Taunt+W-o-W Mew, so I will give that a try, and I guess Taunt/Swords Dance Cobalion could also do pretty nicely.
Anyway I feel like I'm forgetting something so I'll probably update again later but wth. I'm also going to test rain dance over Tailwind on Drifblim provided it gets it because that seems like a more permanent and arguably more useful alternative.
Thanks for reading!
