After spending ages on the OU tier and drastically improving my OU team (epic props to Haunter and the others for helping me with that), I felt some change was needed. Instead of building a team just for UU my goal was to build a group that could take on OU and UU teams. This team has held up well but there’s always room for improvement. Any suggestions/advice is welcome, even if it’s just one sentence. If you feel I should replace someone, tell me. I want to hear as much as I can :)
Team Overview
Note: Umbreon has been switched out for Slowbro.
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Right from the very beginning, I knew I wanted a Scarf lead just so I could have the first hit of the battle. Typhlosion was a good choice for the job. Took me forever to choose between him and Scarf Blaziken, though. Hitting on both sides of the offensive spectrum is a great thing for a lead, especially when he can outrun nearly everyone else.
Scarf Typhlosion is a magnet for Flash Fire users like Houndoom and Arcanine. Walls who could take a Special Attack like Snorlax and Blissey also presented a problem if I happened to be locked into a Special move, and Physical Walls who resist Eruption can be a huge pain in the ass. So I looked for a Pokemon that could counter Flash fire users and those pesky walls. I chose Hariyama for this role.
One thing Hariyama lacks that every wall loves is a recovery move besides Rest, and I’d rather not use a RestTalking set. He also seems to attract Psychic types, which he hates. So I wanted a Pokemon who could take Psychic moves and provide recovery support to the team. Umbreon seemed to be a great choice.
I loved how great the team looked but I noticed I was missing something incredibly important: an entry hazard! On top of that I also lacked a spinner. Then I thought about Typhlosion’s weakness to the most popular move in the game and decided I would need a Pokemon immune to Earthquake in addition to being a hazard controller. After looking around for a while I discovered Claydol, a Pokemon who had more benefits than I was looking for.
At this point the majority of my Pokemon are slow. I also lacked a reliable answer to Gyarados, or Water types in general, while also lacking a Special sweeper. Chances are you could guess who I chose based off those characteristics had I not posted my entire team earlier. Yep, the reliable Raikou.
The team is looking great but there is one spot left. Raikou has shown me the beauty of hitting hard while moving fast and I wanted to continue that, just on the Physical side. My first choice was a Flame Orb Swellow, but I remember how priority moves would piss me off and how most Rocks and Steel types would wall him. I looked a Pokemon with a bit more bulk and some more coverage, mostly against Rock types. Sceptile met the qualifications nicely.
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THE LEAD
Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Mild
Ev’s: 144 Atk, 252 Sp. Atk and 112 Spd.
Eruption
Focus Punch
Earthquake
Hidden Power Ice
A pretty standard Typhlosion lead that uses a Choice Scarf. I went with him over Blaziken because Eruption is more powerful and reliable than Fire Blast. Originally, I had Overheat in place of HP Ice but I noticed I lacked an Ice move on my team, which could leave me weak to the Dragons. Eruption is a great STAB base 150 move and dents just about anything that doesn’t resist it when Typhlosion is at full health. Focus Punch helps him handle an incoming Wall hoping to soak up a Special move, such as Blissey, Snorlax, Aggron and Probopass. Earthquake lets him hit Electric types hard and gives Typhlosion nice coverage. Hidden Power Ice takes care of most Flying types and the Dragons.
THE PHYSICAL WALL
Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
Nature: Impish
EV’s: 80 HP, 172 Atk, 252 Def, 4 Sp Def
Brick Break
Whirlwind
Stone Edge
Knock Off/Fire Punch
This guy is an annoyance, plain and simple. He can take Fire and Ice moves well and deal plenty of hurt to the Pokemon who have those moves STAB’d. Brick Break is a reliable STAB move that can break any screens that may be up. Whirlwind gets rid of any Pokemon trying to boost their stats. Stone Edge takes care of Arcanine, who Hariyama will be switching into if he can. Knock Off is meant to cripple any Pokemon who needs their item to be effective. Fire Punch could let him hit Grass Pokemon for devastating damage while also taking out Steel types. Like I said earlier, I'd like to stay away from a RestTalk set but if it would be an improvement I will use it
THE SUPPORTER *
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful
EV’s: 252 HP, 252 Sp Def, 4 Def
Wish
Mean Look
Protect
Payback
Provides my team with Wish support and is excellent at getting rid of Psychic types, and absorbing their STAB moves, which is what I want him to do. Protect lets Umbreon scout for Choice users and offers suitable stalling for self-recovery with Wish/Leftovers. Payback is the move he uses to deal with the trapped Psychic. I may use the Baton Pass if Trap Passing would work better but I’d rather not use it if I can. I'm also interested in Toxic but I don't know if it would work too well.
THE HAZARD CONTROLLER
Claydol @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EV’s: 252 HP, 144 Def , 114 Sp Atk
Stealth Rock
Rapid Spin
Hidden Power Fighting/Earth Power
Shadow Ball
I was searching for a guy who could set up and get rid of hazards while being immune to Earthquake and I found Claydol, who could do all that and more. He’s immune to Spikes and T-Spikes, resists Stealth Rock and gives my team immunity to Ground and Electric moves. He has great defenses and typing. I was originally going to take advantage of a STAB Psychic but then I remembered how Gengar had magnificent coverage with Focus Blast/Shadow Ball and I decided Claydol would love to have that. But Claydol can’t learn Focus Blast so he would have to go with Hidden Power Fighting. I might go with Earth Power for the STAB, though.
THE SPECIAL SWEEPER
Raikou @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EV’s: 252 Sp Atk, 252 Spd, 4 HP
Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Hidden Power Grass
Extrasensory
It’s hard to believe this guy is UU but I’m not complaining. Thunderbolt is the obvious STAB move and rids me of any Gyarados problem and is my main answer for Skarmory should Typhlosion be taken out. Shadow Ball hits Ghosts for good damage and has a possible Spe Def drop should the target survive. Hidden Power Grass handles Swampert and those Ground Pokemon looking to come in and wall Raikou or take a Thunderbolt. Extrasensory deals with the Fighting types, namely Infernape.
THE PHYSICAL SWEEPER
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
EV’s: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 HP
Leaf Blade
Earthquake
Rock Slide
X-scissor
An excellent physical sweeper, all things considered. Sceptile has great coverage on top of good Attack and amazing Speed… it’s a beautiful thing. Leaf Blade is the STAB move, which has a nice CH rate and base power. Earthquake’s notoriety is well documented and really needs no explanation. Rock Slide hits Flying types and may even flinch the opponent. X-Scissor is great for Grass types and takes care of Celebi.
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*
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Bold(+Def, - Atk)
EV's: 252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpDef
Calm Mind
Slack Off
Surf
Psychic
Slowbro is an excellent wall for my team. He can switch into psychic attacks aimed at Hariyama and Calm Mind up while the opponent switches. Lefties/Slack Off gives him excellent instant recovery for longer walling instead of waiting for Wish to kick in. Surf and Psychic are his two STAB moves and offer decent coverage, though after a few CM's it will hardly matter.
Team Overview
Note: Umbreon has been switched out for Slowbro.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Right from the very beginning, I knew I wanted a Scarf lead just so I could have the first hit of the battle. Typhlosion was a good choice for the job. Took me forever to choose between him and Scarf Blaziken, though. Hitting on both sides of the offensive spectrum is a great thing for a lead, especially when he can outrun nearly everyone else.
Scarf Typhlosion is a magnet for Flash Fire users like Houndoom and Arcanine. Walls who could take a Special Attack like Snorlax and Blissey also presented a problem if I happened to be locked into a Special move, and Physical Walls who resist Eruption can be a huge pain in the ass. So I looked for a Pokemon that could counter Flash fire users and those pesky walls. I chose Hariyama for this role.
One thing Hariyama lacks that every wall loves is a recovery move besides Rest, and I’d rather not use a RestTalking set. He also seems to attract Psychic types, which he hates. So I wanted a Pokemon who could take Psychic moves and provide recovery support to the team. Umbreon seemed to be a great choice.
I loved how great the team looked but I noticed I was missing something incredibly important: an entry hazard! On top of that I also lacked a spinner. Then I thought about Typhlosion’s weakness to the most popular move in the game and decided I would need a Pokemon immune to Earthquake in addition to being a hazard controller. After looking around for a while I discovered Claydol, a Pokemon who had more benefits than I was looking for.
At this point the majority of my Pokemon are slow. I also lacked a reliable answer to Gyarados, or Water types in general, while also lacking a Special sweeper. Chances are you could guess who I chose based off those characteristics had I not posted my entire team earlier. Yep, the reliable Raikou.
The team is looking great but there is one spot left. Raikou has shown me the beauty of hitting hard while moving fast and I wanted to continue that, just on the Physical side. My first choice was a Flame Orb Swellow, but I remember how priority moves would piss me off and how most Rocks and Steel types would wall him. I looked a Pokemon with a bit more bulk and some more coverage, mostly against Rock types. Sceptile met the qualifications nicely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE LEAD
Typhlosion @ Choice Scarf
Nature: Mild
Ev’s: 144 Atk, 252 Sp. Atk and 112 Spd.
Eruption
Focus Punch
Earthquake
Hidden Power Ice
A pretty standard Typhlosion lead that uses a Choice Scarf. I went with him over Blaziken because Eruption is more powerful and reliable than Fire Blast. Originally, I had Overheat in place of HP Ice but I noticed I lacked an Ice move on my team, which could leave me weak to the Dragons. Eruption is a great STAB base 150 move and dents just about anything that doesn’t resist it when Typhlosion is at full health. Focus Punch helps him handle an incoming Wall hoping to soak up a Special move, such as Blissey, Snorlax, Aggron and Probopass. Earthquake lets him hit Electric types hard and gives Typhlosion nice coverage. Hidden Power Ice takes care of most Flying types and the Dragons.
THE PHYSICAL WALL
Hariyama @ Leftovers
Ability: Thick Fat
Nature: Impish
EV’s: 80 HP, 172 Atk, 252 Def, 4 Sp Def
Brick Break
Whirlwind
Stone Edge
Knock Off/Fire Punch
This guy is an annoyance, plain and simple. He can take Fire and Ice moves well and deal plenty of hurt to the Pokemon who have those moves STAB’d. Brick Break is a reliable STAB move that can break any screens that may be up. Whirlwind gets rid of any Pokemon trying to boost their stats. Stone Edge takes care of Arcanine, who Hariyama will be switching into if he can. Knock Off is meant to cripple any Pokemon who needs their item to be effective. Fire Punch could let him hit Grass Pokemon for devastating damage while also taking out Steel types. Like I said earlier, I'd like to stay away from a RestTalk set but if it would be an improvement I will use it
THE SUPPORTER *
Umbreon @ Leftovers
Nature: Careful
EV’s: 252 HP, 252 Sp Def, 4 Def
Wish
Mean Look
Protect
Payback
Provides my team with Wish support and is excellent at getting rid of Psychic types, and absorbing their STAB moves, which is what I want him to do. Protect lets Umbreon scout for Choice users and offers suitable stalling for self-recovery with Wish/Leftovers. Payback is the move he uses to deal with the trapped Psychic. I may use the Baton Pass if Trap Passing would work better but I’d rather not use it if I can. I'm also interested in Toxic but I don't know if it would work too well.
THE HAZARD CONTROLLER
Claydol @ Leftovers
Nature: Bold
EV’s: 252 HP, 144 Def , 114 Sp Atk
Stealth Rock
Rapid Spin
Hidden Power Fighting/Earth Power
Shadow Ball
I was searching for a guy who could set up and get rid of hazards while being immune to Earthquake and I found Claydol, who could do all that and more. He’s immune to Spikes and T-Spikes, resists Stealth Rock and gives my team immunity to Ground and Electric moves. He has great defenses and typing. I was originally going to take advantage of a STAB Psychic but then I remembered how Gengar had magnificent coverage with Focus Blast/Shadow Ball and I decided Claydol would love to have that. But Claydol can’t learn Focus Blast so he would have to go with Hidden Power Fighting. I might go with Earth Power for the STAB, though.
THE SPECIAL SWEEPER
Raikou @ Life Orb
Nature: Timid
EV’s: 252 Sp Atk, 252 Spd, 4 HP
Thunderbolt
Shadow Ball
Hidden Power Grass
Extrasensory
It’s hard to believe this guy is UU but I’m not complaining. Thunderbolt is the obvious STAB move and rids me of any Gyarados problem and is my main answer for Skarmory should Typhlosion be taken out. Shadow Ball hits Ghosts for good damage and has a possible Spe Def drop should the target survive. Hidden Power Grass handles Swampert and those Ground Pokemon looking to come in and wall Raikou or take a Thunderbolt. Extrasensory deals with the Fighting types, namely Infernape.
THE PHYSICAL SWEEPER
Sceptile @ Life Orb
Nature: Jolly
EV’s: 252 Atk, 252 Spd, 4 HP
Leaf Blade
Earthquake
Rock Slide
X-scissor
An excellent physical sweeper, all things considered. Sceptile has great coverage on top of good Attack and amazing Speed… it’s a beautiful thing. Leaf Blade is the STAB move, which has a nice CH rate and base power. Earthquake’s notoriety is well documented and really needs no explanation. Rock Slide hits Flying types and may even flinch the opponent. X-Scissor is great for Grass types and takes care of Celebi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*
Slowbro @ Leftovers
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Bold(+Def, - Atk)
EV's: 252 Hp/ 252 Def/ 4 SpDef
Calm Mind
Slack Off
Surf
Psychic
Slowbro is an excellent wall for my team. He can switch into psychic attacks aimed at Hariyama and Calm Mind up while the opponent switches. Lefties/Slack Off gives him excellent instant recovery for longer walling instead of waiting for Wish to kick in. Surf and Psychic are his two STAB moves and offer decent coverage, though after a few CM's it will hardly matter.
