After my previous RMT at the beginning of the year (which also happens to be one of 2 lower-tier RMT's here), I've learned a lot about BDSP UU in the past 3.5 months playing it. I chose to build a new team (with some inspiration from a friend), focused around an archetype that escaped the quickbans, wanting to see how far it can be taken: sun. I've been hovering around the 1200-1400 range with this team (depending on how much I int/Sleep Powder misses on a crucial turn). Would like to hear your thoughts as I haven't really seen too many teams that dive fully into sun.
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Yawn
Torkoal is one of two sun setters available in UU, the other being Ninetales, who is super frail and has far less utility. It was a no-brainer to slap this onto my team. The EV investment allows it to eat up physical attackers and Yawn them, forcing them to switch out or stay in and get put to sleep. Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin is great utility for my hazard setter to be able to provide, and Lava Plume is just pretty good STAB. Since Torkoal is my primary weather setter, its survivability above all others is highly prioritized (I suppose playing BW prepared me for this archetype). This means careful pivoting or even sacrificing mons if necessary to create conditions to get Torkoal safely on the field and set up the Sun.
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Yawn
I had no faith that Torkoal would be able to singlehandedly handle Stealth Rock duties, and I also wanted a mon that could use U-Turn to bring in my big hitters. Uxie provides that both, while also having extra qualities. Another Pokemon, Mew, could have filled this slot, but I initially went Uxie and have not switched to Mew because of its unique traits: its greater bulk lets it stay on the field longer and tank big hits, its Ground immunity is huge for switching into those of Flygon and other Ground-types, and as I recently checked, Mew doesn't actually learn Yawn, and if there's one thing I love about Uxie, it's Yawning a foe, then U-Turning on whatever wants to come in. It's that ability to force momentum for this team is what I love about Uxie. I would love to say that I designed the spreads of my team by hand, but I just clicked the wide button in the teambuilder and the EV's magically teleported into place. I will say, having a specially-based sponge complementing the Physically-checking mons on my team is quite nice.
Forretress @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Endure
- Volt Switch/Sunny Day
This is a goofy little set that I came up with at 4 am. Essentially, the idea is to use Forretress's Sturdy ability (or, if hazards are in play, Endure) to activate Custap Berry, and have something happen. This could be an extra layer of Spikes, an emergency Spin, using Volt Switch to bring something else in, or a last-ditch Sunny Day to support one of my sweepers in the endgame. I initially (as part of the goofy strat) would use Sunny Day, but after realizing Forre would just be setup fodder for Mismagius, I switched to Volt Switch (heh) so that something else could come in. Having Spikes is great to support my Grass types, and Torkoal appreciates a second Spinner making it easier to set up Sun throughout the game.
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder
Ah, what would a sun team be without a Chlorophyll Grass-type to abuse it? Venusaur had been the premier Chlorophyll abuser in BW for a simple reason: its Speed. With a base 80 Speed stat, investing into max Speed allows you to outspeed Scarf Flygon and Shell Smash Blastoise when the sun is out. Sleep Powder is self-explanatory, as it allows me to set up a Growth, and claim at least 1 or 2 KOs. The goal of Venusaur isn't to sweep; rather, it's to break holes in the opponent, then pivot out in order to set up another opportunity to fire off attacks again. In terms of the Grass STAB, the main three options were Giga Drain (to mitigate Life Orb recoil), Solar Beam (for maximum power under the sun), or Energy Ball (for a good balance of power and reliability). I went Giga Drain to have some longevity in this set, especially if Venusaur has to deal with priority from Entei.
Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
Another perk about using Sun is abusing Fire-types, and the one best-suited for this is Entei. Entei really only needs two moves to suceed: Sacred Fire and Extreme Speed. STAB Sacred Fire is hard to switch into for most mons from Banded Entei, but when the Sun is out, it becomes really difficult for opponents to come into it. For example, Tentacruel, a fine switch-in to Fire moves, gets cleanly 2HKO'd in Sun:
252+ Atk Choice Band Entei Sacred Fire vs. 252 HP / 108 Def Tentacruel in Sun: 225-266 (61.8 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
What's more, Entei's Extreme Speed is powerful priority that is massively useful in the late game, or even revenging a Speed-boosting sweeper, such as Speed Boost Sharpedo or Yanmega, or Shell Smash Blastoise. Entei is also generally bulky enough that it can live quite a few attacks, or, if hazards are off the field, even 1v1 Scarf Flygon. Knowing how to guide endgames, juggling hazards and chip damage, is important to let Entei go to work in the late game.
Victreebel @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Weather Ball
- Sludge Bomb
Finally, the most debatable (in my mind) member of the team, Victreebel. I wanted to have Fire coverage on a Grass mon, in order to bait Steel types in and make sweeping with Venusaur easier in the late-game. The idea is that I would have two Venusaurs; one to wallbreak early, one to sweep in the endgame. The main issue with Victreebel is its base 70 Speed. This speed stat means that you don't get to outspeed Shell Smash Blastoise or Scarf Flygon, even in the Sun. What's more, this set drops Sleep Powder for Weather Ball, making it easier to pressure Victreebel if it hasn't set up.
Therefore, I think I might retire Victreebel in favor of something that can beat the main problem of this team: Snorlax. Snorlax's immense Special bulk alongside the ability Thick Fat allows it to swallow the attacks from all of my offensive Pokemon. If it's running a Curse RestTalk set, my entire team just flails helplessly as it sets up Curses, ignores burns from Lava Plume and Sacred Fire with Rest, and absorbs Sleep from Yawn and Sleep Powder. It literally debunks my entire team. As a result, I've been looking for ways to answer it.
My options:
Heracross seems like a great option for busting open Lax, along with Steel types, which this team struggles with. I'm not 100% sure what set I would run on this, though. Guts is the standard to me, but I want to explore other options before going with Heracross. It's a great mon, but I don't think it'll fully utilize the sun the way other mons would. At this point, I only have 3 mons abusing sun, and taking one away would take away the heart of this team.
Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Night Slash
- Brick Break
Shiftry is the mon I've been testing currently. I opted to run a physical Swords Dance Shiftry to complement the Special Venusaur in the Sun, as well as not having to have the sun up to properly boost. I haven't gotten the chance to fully test it out, but the traits that I like in Venusaur are there, namely the speed to outspeed Scarf Flygon and Shell Smash Blastoise in the sun. With an SD, its STABs will do a lot of damage, and Brick Break is nice for the Steel types and Snorlax that could pose a problem for this set (though the BP of Night Slash and Brick Break leave a lot to be desired). Of course, there are other Sun abusers, but I found that Venusaur and Shiftry worked best for what I wanted, and I will still have the option to try others.
Team Strengths:
- Hazard control: with both Stealth Rocks and Spikes, alongside Rapid Spin on multiple Mons allows me the ability to consistently deny the opponent hazards while potentially stacking my own.
- Maintaining momentum: Between Yawn and U-turn or Volt Switch, I can effectively force switches and always capitalize upon them, bringing in heavy hitters after Uxie or Forretress tanks an attack.
Team Weaknesses:
- Mismagius: A Nasty Plot Mismagius just rips apart this team, especially outside of sun. I'm considering replacing Night Slash on Shiftry with Sucker Punch to be able to check it and other Speed-boosting sweepers that scare my team.
- Snorlax: As I mentioned, Curse RestTalk Snorlax hard-walls this team as-is.
- Substitute: This team, as hyper-offense teams go, wants momentum to always be on its side. If it gets stalled by a Substitute attacker, then removing the Sub costs a huge chunk of momentum or firepower. If the opponent is faster and gets off Sub, this team has a big problem on its hands.
I like this team, but I will still experiment with this archetype and see what else sun holds for BDSP UU.
Notable Replays with this Team:
Torkoal @ Heat Rock
Ability: Drought
EVs: 248 HP / 252 Def / 8 SpA
Bold Nature
- Lava Plume
- Stealth Rock
- Rapid Spin
- Yawn
Torkoal is one of two sun setters available in UU, the other being Ninetales, who is super frail and has far less utility. It was a no-brainer to slap this onto my team. The EV investment allows it to eat up physical attackers and Yawn them, forcing them to switch out or stay in and get put to sleep. Stealth Rock and Rapid Spin is great utility for my hazard setter to be able to provide, and Lava Plume is just pretty good STAB. Since Torkoal is my primary weather setter, its survivability above all others is highly prioritized (I suppose playing BW prepared me for this archetype). This means careful pivoting or even sacrificing mons if necessary to create conditions to get Torkoal safely on the field and set up the Sun.
Uxie @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 4 SpA / 252 SpD
Calm Nature
- Stealth Rock
- U-turn
- Psychic
- Yawn
I had no faith that Torkoal would be able to singlehandedly handle Stealth Rock duties, and I also wanted a mon that could use U-Turn to bring in my big hitters. Uxie provides that both, while also having extra qualities. Another Pokemon, Mew, could have filled this slot, but I initially went Uxie and have not switched to Mew because of its unique traits: its greater bulk lets it stay on the field longer and tank big hits, its Ground immunity is huge for switching into those of Flygon and other Ground-types, and as I recently checked, Mew doesn't actually learn Yawn, and if there's one thing I love about Uxie, it's Yawning a foe, then U-Turning on whatever wants to come in. It's that ability to force momentum for this team is what I love about Uxie. I would love to say that I designed the spreads of my team by hand, but I just clicked the wide button in the teambuilder and the EV's magically teleported into place. I will say, having a specially-based sponge complementing the Physically-checking mons on my team is quite nice.
Forretress @ Custap Berry
Ability: Sturdy
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 Spe
Impish Nature
- Spikes
- Rapid Spin
- Endure
- Volt Switch/Sunny Day
This is a goofy little set that I came up with at 4 am. Essentially, the idea is to use Forretress's Sturdy ability (or, if hazards are in play, Endure) to activate Custap Berry, and have something happen. This could be an extra layer of Spikes, an emergency Spin, using Volt Switch to bring something else in, or a last-ditch Sunny Day to support one of my sweepers in the endgame. I initially (as part of the goofy strat) would use Sunny Day, but after realizing Forre would just be setup fodder for Mismagius, I switched to Volt Switch (heh) so that something else could come in. Having Spikes is great to support my Grass types, and Torkoal appreciates a second Spinner making it easier to set up Sun throughout the game.
Venusaur @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Sludge Bomb
- Sleep Powder
Ah, what would a sun team be without a Chlorophyll Grass-type to abuse it? Venusaur had been the premier Chlorophyll abuser in BW for a simple reason: its Speed. With a base 80 Speed stat, investing into max Speed allows you to outspeed Scarf Flygon and Shell Smash Blastoise when the sun is out. Sleep Powder is self-explanatory, as it allows me to set up a Growth, and claim at least 1 or 2 KOs. The goal of Venusaur isn't to sweep; rather, it's to break holes in the opponent, then pivot out in order to set up another opportunity to fire off attacks again. In terms of the Grass STAB, the main three options were Giga Drain (to mitigate Life Orb recoil), Solar Beam (for maximum power under the sun), or Energy Ball (for a good balance of power and reliability). I went Giga Drain to have some longevity in this set, especially if Venusaur has to deal with priority from Entei.
Entei @ Choice Band
Ability: Inner Focus
Shiny: Yes
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Adamant Nature
- Sacred Fire
- Extreme Speed
- Stone Edge
- Crunch
Another perk about using Sun is abusing Fire-types, and the one best-suited for this is Entei. Entei really only needs two moves to suceed: Sacred Fire and Extreme Speed. STAB Sacred Fire is hard to switch into for most mons from Banded Entei, but when the Sun is out, it becomes really difficult for opponents to come into it. For example, Tentacruel, a fine switch-in to Fire moves, gets cleanly 2HKO'd in Sun:
252+ Atk Choice Band Entei Sacred Fire vs. 252 HP / 108 Def Tentacruel in Sun: 225-266 (61.8 - 73%) -- guaranteed 2HKO after Black Sludge recovery
What's more, Entei's Extreme Speed is powerful priority that is massively useful in the late game, or even revenging a Speed-boosting sweeper, such as Speed Boost Sharpedo or Yanmega, or Shell Smash Blastoise. Entei is also generally bulky enough that it can live quite a few attacks, or, if hazards are off the field, even 1v1 Scarf Flygon. Knowing how to guide endgames, juggling hazards and chip damage, is important to let Entei go to work in the late game.
Victreebel @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Growth
- Giga Drain
- Weather Ball
- Sludge Bomb
Finally, the most debatable (in my mind) member of the team, Victreebel. I wanted to have Fire coverage on a Grass mon, in order to bait Steel types in and make sweeping with Venusaur easier in the late-game. The idea is that I would have two Venusaurs; one to wallbreak early, one to sweep in the endgame. The main issue with Victreebel is its base 70 Speed. This speed stat means that you don't get to outspeed Shell Smash Blastoise or Scarf Flygon, even in the Sun. What's more, this set drops Sleep Powder for Weather Ball, making it easier to pressure Victreebel if it hasn't set up.
Therefore, I think I might retire Victreebel in favor of something that can beat the main problem of this team: Snorlax. Snorlax's immense Special bulk alongside the ability Thick Fat allows it to swallow the attacks from all of my offensive Pokemon. If it's running a Curse RestTalk set, my entire team just flails helplessly as it sets up Curses, ignores burns from Lava Plume and Sacred Fire with Rest, and absorbs Sleep from Yawn and Sleep Powder. It literally debunks my entire team. As a result, I've been looking for ways to answer it.
My options:
Heracross seems like a great option for busting open Lax, along with Steel types, which this team struggles with. I'm not 100% sure what set I would run on this, though. Guts is the standard to me, but I want to explore other options before going with Heracross. It's a great mon, but I don't think it'll fully utilize the sun the way other mons would. At this point, I only have 3 mons abusing sun, and taking one away would take away the heart of this team.
Shiftry @ Life Orb
Ability: Chlorophyll
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Leaf Blade
- Night Slash
- Brick Break
Shiftry is the mon I've been testing currently. I opted to run a physical Swords Dance Shiftry to complement the Special Venusaur in the Sun, as well as not having to have the sun up to properly boost. I haven't gotten the chance to fully test it out, but the traits that I like in Venusaur are there, namely the speed to outspeed Scarf Flygon and Shell Smash Blastoise in the sun. With an SD, its STABs will do a lot of damage, and Brick Break is nice for the Steel types and Snorlax that could pose a problem for this set (though the BP of Night Slash and Brick Break leave a lot to be desired). Of course, there are other Sun abusers, but I found that Venusaur and Shiftry worked best for what I wanted, and I will still have the option to try others.
Team Strengths:
- Hazard control: with both Stealth Rocks and Spikes, alongside Rapid Spin on multiple Mons allows me the ability to consistently deny the opponent hazards while potentially stacking my own.
- Maintaining momentum: Between Yawn and U-turn or Volt Switch, I can effectively force switches and always capitalize upon them, bringing in heavy hitters after Uxie or Forretress tanks an attack.
Team Weaknesses:
- Mismagius: A Nasty Plot Mismagius just rips apart this team, especially outside of sun. I'm considering replacing Night Slash on Shiftry with Sucker Punch to be able to check it and other Speed-boosting sweepers that scare my team.
- Snorlax: As I mentioned, Curse RestTalk Snorlax hard-walls this team as-is.
- Substitute: This team, as hyper-offense teams go, wants momentum to always be on its side. If it gets stalled by a Substitute attacker, then removing the Sub costs a huge chunk of momentum or firepower. If the opponent is faster and gets off Sub, this team has a big problem on its hands.
I like this team, but I will still experiment with this archetype and see what else sun holds for BDSP UU.
Notable Replays with this Team:
- vs. modified Entei + Heracross Offense
- vs. Gardevoir BO
- Recent Room Tour win:
Last edited: