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Hello forum! I'm Teapot, and I love to play the UU tier. I have been playing since DPP, and got hooked on it in about my 2nd year of competitive playing, I think it's the best tier out there. If you clicked the link above, you'll notice it's a 22 minute-long song. That's a tad long, but it's a good listen, I promise. Anyways, I've been trying to get a new UU team going, and this team has had good success. It peaked 29th overall on Smogon's ladder at a 1338 rating. This team is fairly balanced, although it tips toward the offensive side of things as far as UU teams go. I could go on and on in an intro, but
Team-Building Process
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The team started with Yanmega. Partially because he looks really cool (I mean come on. His face screams FIGHTER PILOT PEW PEW PEW) but also because I think he's a fairly underrated threat in UU. Most people prefer Heracross or Escavalier when they think about using a Bug-type threat. I originally wanted to use specs Tinted Lens, but I switched it up to LO Speed Boost later.
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When thinking about who to pair with Yanmega, I needed something to lure in and take out or weaken specially defensive things. Mew does a good job at this, most people expect either Taunt Will-o-Wisp, or Nasty Plot when they first see it. NP with Psyshock could work, but I decided to use Swords Dance Mew instead, also because he is often overlooked in UU play, and can take out entire teams with just a bit of residual damage.
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Blastoise came next, I knew I'd need a spinner. I chose Blastoise originally because he could switch into Yanmega's Fire-type weakness, as well as stuff like weak Stone Edges, and survive. It also could burn things, or roar stuff out which is good for adding up damage.
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Empoleon was added next, I didn't have much to switch into Outrage, plus Steel is a great type. Empoleon could set up Stealth Rock, as well as hit things with powerful Hydro Pumps. I also had a Protect set which allowed me to scout for choiced stuff.
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I switched Blastoise out to Claydol, because with Empoleon I was stacking Electric weaknesses. Claydol is also one of the best spinners in the game (in UU.) Zapdos was added in to help with Scarf Heracross who was starting to annoy this team. It also gave me something to hit opposing water-types with, like Calm Mind Suicune.
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HeatTom was added to give me a more solid check to the ever-present Pokémon known as Roserade. It also gets Levitate which means its only weaknesses are to Water and Rock.
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Eventually, I switched Empoleon to Suicune, because of the extra defensive bulk. Despite losing the steel-type Empoleon had, I have enough Physical bulk to switch into outrages, and Suicune could actually damage opposing Defensive Steel-types. Bronzong and Registeel were both harassing my team.
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The team started with Yanmega. Partially because he looks really cool (I mean come on. His face screams FIGHTER PILOT PEW PEW PEW) but also because I think he's a fairly underrated threat in UU. Most people prefer Heracross or Escavalier when they think about using a Bug-type threat. I originally wanted to use specs Tinted Lens, but I switched it up to LO Speed Boost later.
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When thinking about who to pair with Yanmega, I needed something to lure in and take out or weaken specially defensive things. Mew does a good job at this, most people expect either Taunt Will-o-Wisp, or Nasty Plot when they first see it. NP with Psyshock could work, but I decided to use Swords Dance Mew instead, also because he is often overlooked in UU play, and can take out entire teams with just a bit of residual damage.
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Blastoise came next, I knew I'd need a spinner. I chose Blastoise originally because he could switch into Yanmega's Fire-type weakness, as well as stuff like weak Stone Edges, and survive. It also could burn things, or roar stuff out which is good for adding up damage.
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Empoleon was added next, I didn't have much to switch into Outrage, plus Steel is a great type. Empoleon could set up Stealth Rock, as well as hit things with powerful Hydro Pumps. I also had a Protect set which allowed me to scout for choiced stuff.
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I switched Blastoise out to Claydol, because with Empoleon I was stacking Electric weaknesses. Claydol is also one of the best spinners in the game (in UU.) Zapdos was added in to help with Scarf Heracross who was starting to annoy this team. It also gave me something to hit opposing water-types with, like Calm Mind Suicune.
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HeatTom was added to give me a more solid check to the ever-present Pokémon known as Roserade. It also gets Levitate which means its only weaknesses are to Water and Rock.
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Eventually, I switched Empoleon to Suicune, because of the extra defensive bulk. Despite losing the steel-type Empoleon had, I have enough Physical bulk to switch into outrages, and Suicune could actually damage opposing Defensive Steel-types. Bronzong and Registeel were both harassing my team.
In-Depth Look
StevenBryant (Claydol) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Relaxed Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rapid Spin
- Stealth Rock
- Earthquake
- Ice Beam
Oh boy, the nicknames. If you were cool enough to click the link to the song "Ecstatic Waters" at the top of the thread, all of the nicknames are based off of that song. Steven Bryant is the composer of the song, and Claydol earns the nickname because he runs the show as the spinner and Hazard setter-upper for the team. Without him, Yanmega is dead to Stealth Rock, Zapdos and HeatTom would be crippled, and Toxic Spikes would harass Mew. Stealth Rock is important for getting Yanmega and Mew important OHKO's and 2HKO's, especially on bulky Pokémon. Earthquake is used over Earth Power because unless I'm stupid enough to leave Claydol in against a Rhyperior, it's going to hit for more damage all the time, and I would like to hurt Chandelure and Froslass as much as possible when they switch in. Earthquake also 2HKO's Raikou, even when Calm Minds are up. Ice Beam is there for Flygon, and the people who think they're cool when they decide to switch Xatu in and try to bounce the rocks back. Levitate is a cool ability to have, especially on a spinner, although I find it extremely ironic because I don't actually have any Pokémon that are weak to ground on this team. The EV's give Claydol as much Physically defensive bulk as possible, which is good for things like Flygon. It also allows Claydol to survive one shot from things like Rhyperior and Darmanitan when at full health, and hit back. Even though it won't KO, the Ice Beam or Earthquake will take a decent chunk of health out, and that extra 30 or 40% is good for late-game sweeps.
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Innocence (Suicune) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Scald
- Roar
Suicune is up next, and he is quite a cool Pokémon to use in UU. Ceremony of Innoncence is movement 1 of the songs, and Suicune being the dog that purifies water and stuff fits the nickname perfectly. Suicune comes in early and just scalds the bejeebus out of things, in hope that I get a burn or two. Suicune is also defensive enough so it will give me a basic idea of how my opponent's playstyle is. When they'll switch in what Pokémon, how aggressive they are, etc. Burns early in the match on things like Roserade are also good in building up damage to make Yanmega's and Mew's jobs easier. On grass types like Shaymin and Roserade who have natural cure, it forces them to use rest, which makes it easier to get the two sweepers in. On everything else, like Rotom-C or Snorlax, they get stuck with burn harassing them the entire game. ResTalk is a cool option for Suicune to use, even when it's not the CroCune set. It's really cool when I predict Roserade right and have them put Suicune to sleep, although it's a bit risky. Roar is used in the last slot to shuffle things up. I don't have spikes to add up damage a ton, but Roar does help put my opponents in odd positions sometimes. The EVs are pretty self explanitory. Just make the thing as physically defensive as possible, just like Claydol.
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Augurs (Mew) @ Life Orb
Trait: Synchronize
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spd
Jolly Nature (+Spd, -SAtk)
- Swords Dance
- Zen Headbutt
- Drain Punch
- Sucker Punch
Let me open with the following statament: Mew is not broken in UU. Whoever's idea that was deserves to have a pistol discharged at them. Multiple times. Followed by bacon releasing his chainsaw lazor dragons in their direction.
Augurs is movement 2. If you took the time to listen to the song above, Movement 2 is creepy stuff. It reminds me of the "oh crap this is very very bad" expressions you see in horror movies. Kind of like this Mew. This Pokémon reminds me a lot of Salamence in DPP OU. It isn't neccessarily the most played Pokémon in the format, and it's not that each set is ridiculously broken. It's just that in order to have the different sets covered, you're forced to run like 12 different Pokémon on your teams. Mew acts as a lure for specially bulky stuff like Snorlax. Most people expect either Taunt/Will-o-Wisp, or Nasty Plot. Then I set up Swords Dance and they realize "oh crap this is very very bad." Zen Headbutt is there for STAB, and it also has an acceptable 90 base accuracy. Drain Punch is there to hit things like Snorlax, Bronzong, and the people who think they're cool enough to get a Houndoom in safely. Sucker Punch takes out Chandelure, Froslass, and does significant damage at +2 to frailer things like Flygon or Darmanitan. Mew is supposed to come in early in the match, and rip holes in my opponent's team to make it easier for Yanmega to sweep, not neccessarily sweep through my opponent's team for the win by itself. Although this Mew actually has done that just on the sheer surprise factor multiple times. Sucker Punch throws lots of people for a loop. At base 100 Speed, Mew also outruns or ties a big majority of the common attacking Pokémon in UU, such as Arcanine, Roserade, Shaymin, Zapdos, Nidoking, and any non-scarfed (lol) Darmanitan, Flygon, or Chandelure.
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Wrath (Yanmega) (F) @ Life Orb
Trait: Speed Boost
EVs: 4 Def / 252 SAtk / 252 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Bug Buzz
- Air Slash
- Hidden Power [Ground]
- Protect
Movement 3: The Generous Wrath of Simple Men. Well, the nick is self-explanitory. Yanmega gets +1, it unleashes its wrath on things, and I say gg. It's a very simple strategy. Anyways, protect is there obviously to activate Speed Boost and get a +1, since you don't get one if you (miraculously) get Yanmega to switch in safely.With Life Orb equipped, and 252 EVs with a Modest nature, Yanmega is a monster. (remember, pew pew pew.) Bug Buzz is a great STAB move as it kills lots of common attckers in UU like Rotom-C, Shaymin, and (thank the lawd) Mew. Hidden Power Ground has decent synergy with Bug Buzz, as it hits Chandelure, Darmanitan, and Arcanine who would otherwise resist it. Air Slash is for the Fighting-types like Heracross and Machamp who resist Bug Buzz. It also hits Roserade for super-effective damage, although doesn't OHKO without SR support. At +2, Yanmega pretty much outspeeds the metagame, so the only things that will give it trouble are things like Snorlax and Bronzong, who would live anything Yanmega can throw at it, or priority moves. Thankfully in UU there's no Bullet Punch Scizor to look out for or anything. Yanmega's only downfall is that it is X4 weak to Stealth Rock, so I need to keep Claydol alive for pretty much the whole match in order to support this Pokémon. I also want to point out the cool fact that Yanmega can switch into Heracross's Close Combat or Megahorn and KO back. It takes a bit of prediction to figure out when it will or won't Stone Edge, but it's really fun to do. Yanmega is definitely one of the more underrated threats in UU, and deserves to see more play than it does.
Justice (Rotom-H) @ Leftovers
Trait: Levitate
EVs: 120 HP / 252 SAtk / 136 Spd
Modest Nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Overheat
- Thunderbolt
- Will-O-Wisp
- Pain Split
Movement 4: The Loving Machinery of Justice. Rotom's Machinery so yeah. ./creativity
HeatTom gives the team a good core of resistances, and is bulky enough to switch in multiple times. Pain Split helps with that a lot. Will o Wisp is for things like Flygon and Rhyperior who think they can get in free on an Overheat or a Thunderbolt. I have Thunderbolt over Volt Swtich on this Rotom because of the extra power it provides, and I don't want to switch Rotom out too much if I don't have to. (thanks Gamefreak for making my HeatTom weak to Stealth Rock.) Overheat hits like a truck, it has done upwards of 50% to a Rhyperior before, although I do not have the EVs of the Rhyperior, and it's possible it was a very...not bulky...Rhyperior. Either way, Overheat still hits almost anything without Flash Fire like a truck when they switch in, thanks to
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Spiritus (Zapdos) @ Leftovers
Trait: Pressure
EVs: 248 HP / 236 Def / 24 Spd
Bold Nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Thunderbolt
- Heat Wave
- Toxic
- Roost
The final member of this team is Zapdos. (Spiritus Mundi is movement 5.) As the last member, Zapdos brought a couple of important resistances to the team. First, it resists Heracross's dual-stab attacks, and isn't OHKO'd by Stone Edge. Second, it can consistantly switch into and kill Machamp. Third, it resists Grass, and can switch into things like Leaf Storm or Seed Flare. Thunderbolt is there for STAB, also used over Volt Swich because I'm not playing hit-and-run with this Zapdos. Heat Wave takes out Grass-types like Roserade and Shaymin. Roost lets Zapdos heal itself. Toxic will let me hit anything immune to Thunderbolt and Resistant to Fire, such as Flygon or Swampert. I use Toxic over Hidden Power Ice or Grass because I like to be able to cripple both Swampert and Flygon rather than having to chose one or the other. Plus, the pokemon I would generally switch into these pokemon are both defensive Pokémon (Suicune or Claydol) and would add up Toxic damage fast. Suicune doesn't have Ice Beam to hit Flygon either, and while Claydol does, it doesn't normally OHKO. The EV Spread on Zapdos is possibly the most annoying EV Spread for a Zapdos on the planet. The extreme defenses means Zapdos easily survives things like non-STAB Stone Edge from Flygon, Machamp, and Heracross, and is free to Toxic (or Heat Wave) back. Jolly 252 Attack Flygon's Stone Edge doesn't even 2HKO from full health. Pressure is rather fun to use to stall out PPs. I try my hardest not to stall out Stone Edges because of the high crit rate, but if they've only got 4 left, it is rather fun. Zapdos has ruined several late-game sweeps before because my opponents think they're +2 SD'd up Pokémon or their Espeed Arcanine can KO Zapdos from the health it's at. The physical bulk of this Zapdos is shocking to opponents, and it is a great asset to this team.
Threatlist
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Roserade has posed a bit of a threat to this team. If I can get Suicune to take the sleep powder, that makes it infinitely times easier to deal with. Sludge Bomb Roserade has been the biggest problem, my only poison resist is Claydol, who gets trolled by Leaf Storm or Giga Drain. Fortunately for me, most Roserades don't find the space to get Sludge Bomg in, as they're crunched for moves between Spikes, Toxic Spikes, Leech Seed, Giga Drain, Leaf Storm, Hidden Power, and Rest.
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Hide yo kids. Hide yo wives. And hide yo Husbands. Nobody is safe from this Pokémon in UU, no matter how much you think you might be. Swords Dance poses the biggest threat to this team, as it can use Sucker Punch at +2 to KO Yanmega and disregard all speed boosts. Calm Mind is a pain also as I only have 1 physical attacker on the team (my own mew) and at +1 or +2, Yanmega will fail to OHKO anymore. Suicune can roar it out if it doesn' thave taunt, and Zapdos can sacrifice itself to Synchronize by Toxicing it, but there really isn't anything I can do to gurantee I will be safe from Mew.
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Honchkrow is a fiend. Massive attack stats will rip holes in this team. Brave Bird is giant against everything except the 2 electrics, and Night Slash can be used to get them on the switch in. (Thank goodness Rotom isn't dark weak.) Sucker Punch is also hard for the team to deal with if everybody is low on health.
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Porygon2 is a defensive threat to this team as it walls everything save for a +4 Mew, and it can cripple the team with the appropriate status move, Twave or Toxic. My only real answer is to go suicidal with Mew, or to Toxic it with Zapdos. Otherwise it just kind of sits there and lol's at this team.
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Having no steels or ghosts on the team means I've got nothing that can really switch into CB Return, Frustration, or Retaliate. Sand Rush means he outspeeds everything on the team, even Yanmega unless it gets to +3, and even then Bug Buzz won't OHKO. Suicune can take 1 or 2 Wild Charges, and hope to get a burn with Scald, Zapdos can take 1 STAB Normal attack before going town and hope to get a Toxic in. Otherwise Mew is left to Sucker Punch it to death, which doesn't work unless Stoutland is at low health.
Credits:
Just like to throw a couple of credits out there. Kevin Garrett originally inspired me to use Yanmega on a team. I got the inspiration from a match I played against him for the off season top cut. He did make me want to use Specs Tinted Lens Yanmega, and I was kind of sad when I could not for the life of me get it to work, but then I came up with this set instead. Even though it's a different set, he did technically get me to use Yanmega in the first place.
Props to TDL also for ballparking ideas around with me in the early stages of teambuilding. IDK if anything we came up with together is still on, but he did throw some ideas around with me. Pride suggested Zapdos and PDC suggested Suicune. Props to the both of them.
Lastly, props to anybody who actually takes the time to click on the link above and listen to Ecstatic Waters, which is the best song in the world (even if it is 22 minutes long.)
Thank you for taking the time to read my RMT, any improvements thrown my way would be great! If you don't have any but read the RMT, post anyways! Thanks again for reading, see you all next time!
