"We Livin'" ~D1, smash commentator
Hey guys! I am FINALLY back. Finally. For those of you who don't know me, I'm One Approved, and I've been enamored by the competitive side of the VG ever since DPP, and I am PB's resident UU player. It's been WAY too long since I've written an RMT, and WAY too long since I've played this game competitively. However, as smash commentator D1 likes to say, "We livin'."
Spoiler - A brief summary of the song above, relation to the team, and other stuff you probably don't care about
Molly on the Shore is a really just basic, easy to follow, easy to listen to, woodwindy piece. It's very simple and a bit repetitive, but it's still nice to listen to. Functions pretty much the same as my team : simple, but effective. It's not hard to understand what the goal is, but that doesn't mean you're going to stop me. Also, the higher-pitched woodwind part is the "obvious" focus of the song, but the low brass and other sections are still working really hard to support them, even if they go unnoticed. It's also a bit like the team. The main goal is fairly obvious if you look at it, even from team preview but the other mons do such a great job of supporting it and that's where offensive teams are really made. The initial concept is easy, the support mons are the hard part.
ANYWAYS, enough of the crap you don't care about. The team at a glance and the team building process:
I signed up for smogon's tutoring program just to get into the swing of things and I built this team with my tutor. (Shoutouts to user: Based Lord Christo). I wanted to build an offensive team because offense is my preferred playstyle, and I had been using only balance up until this point. We started with Froslass because its ability to set spikes is awesome, and in UU, all the defoggers save 1 are weak to ice.
We added the core of Chandelure/Slurpuff/Mega Absol next. Mega Absol and Chandelure share a lot of similar checks and counters (ie: Hydreigon, bulky waters) so it would be easy for one to weaken the checks to the other. Slurpuff also shared a couple of physical walls that could stop both it and Absol, so the two of them could work together to eventually break them down. Also Slurpuff sets up on dragons.
Cobalion came next. We needed something that could use Stealth Rock and was also offensive. Cobalion works because it resists dragons and can check the physical ones quite well, and it can set up stealth rock without losing any offensive presence.
Heliolisk was the last pokemon added. We didn't really have any pokemon that could switch into scald, nor did we have anything really to check Flying-types. Heliolisk fits the bill perfectly, and it can utilize Volt Switch to maintain momentum.
An In-Depth Look
WhiteQueen (Froslass) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Ice Beam
Ahh, Froslass. It's been a near-staple in Spikestacking offensive teams since DPP, and its role has never changed. Set up as many hazards as possible, use Taunt to prevent your opponent from doing the same, and when appropriate, use Destiny Bond to take something down with you. Focus Sash basically guarantees I get the chance to fire off 2 attacks, usually allowing me to get up 2 layers of spikes. Sometimes however, I'm able to get off spikes, and then troll around with Destiny Bond, it depends on what I'm trying to get rid of. If my opponent is courteous enough to switch in something that can check any of my sweepers (ie: Life Orb Hydreigon) then I usually try to take it down. If my opponent has a particularly bulky team, then maybe just going for extra spikes is the better option.
Cursed Body is the ability I chose because it has a 30% chance to disable the opponent's move whenever it does damage to Froslass, which can be so stupidly huge sometimes. Snow Cloak is a cool ability, but Mega Abomasnow isn't really used enough in the tier to warrant its usage, and even if it was, Froslass typically dies within the first 2-3 turns of the match anyways. It's not bulky enough to really do anything with the ability. Speaking of bulk, the normal EV Spread for Froslass is typically a much more bulky one, with investments in HP, Special Defense, and Speed, but I honestly don't like that spread on this team. I want to be as fast as possible, and with a suicide lead, I want to do as much damage as possible before going down.
Christo (Cobalion) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
Cobalion, as I mentioned before, was chosen as an offensive Stealth Rocker. Several solid, bulky pokemon like Swampert and Empoleon have access to Stealth Rock, but the "standard" sets that utilize their ability to set up rocks are very bulky, defensive sets that focus on longevity rather than offensive presence. Don't get me wrong, it EASILY would have been possible for me to edit the EVs so that they can serve that purpose, but I just liked Cobalion better in this case. Empoleon is rather slow, and Swampert doesn't check physically offensive threats as reliably (save for Fire-types.) Cobalion does a much better job of keeping things like Snorlax, Feraligatr, and Haxorus in check thanks to its base 129 defense and its solid Steel-typing. Cobalion is also faster than both pokemon, so it can serve as a last-ditch check to things like Lucario or Hoopa in the right instances.
Cobalion's EV Spread and Move choices ar pretty standard, although I opted to drop Volt Switch for Swords Dance on this set. Swords Dance allows Cobalion to provide extra offensive power at times where I really need it, while Volt Switch doesn't necessarily do a lot for me. I want to be damaging things as they switch in, and volt switch doesn't really do that much, even to bulky waters. Taunt would have been a viable option to shut down things like Swampert trying to set up Stealth Rock or Rain Dance, but Cobalion has so many chances to set up Swords Dance with Dark-types like Umbreon and Normal-types like Snorlax in the tier. Also, Shuca Berry is a really cool item on Cobalion. It lets me lure in and KO pokemon like Krookodile or Swampert, who can otherwise hamper the sweep of pokemon like Absol.
RT (Chandelure) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Memento
Chandelure was a stupidly broken pokemon in BW UU. The nickname (RT) is for the one of only two users in the entirety of Pokebeach, Smogon, Showdown!, PO, and anywhere else, that actually recognized it was broken. It's not that stupidly powerful in ORAS, but it still hits like a cement truck. The idea is simple: Click the appropriate STAB option, and watch things take absurd amounts of damage. For example, Specs Base 145 SpAtk STAB Fire Blast can do upwards of 40% to Hydreigon on a switch-in. Dumb. Shadow Ball is cool because Normal and Dark are the only two types that resist ghost now, and a lot of the Dark/Normal types in the tier are much too frail to switch in to chandelure (ie: Absol).
Timid was picked over Modest because in reality, Chandelure needs no extra power, and there's some important pokemon you miss out on speed tieing/outspeeding with Modest. (ie: defensive Arcanine.) The last two options were fun - Energy Ball is usually used to try and nail predicted Water-type switch ins. Instead, I went with Memento. Chandelure sacrifices itself while harshly lowering the opponent's Attack and Special Attack stats, which can pave the way for one of my other teammates to set up for a sweep. Trick is also used because tricking Porygon-2, Blissey, and Snorlax is way too much fun, and it essentially cripples them for the rest of the match. Chandelure's synergy with the team is cool because it checks Heracross and other Fighting-types that can be a massive pain in the ass, and it nukes switch-ins that are commonly used to take on Mega Absol. The support Chandelure provides is tremendous.
Psychotic (Slurpuff) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
- Drain Punch
- Return
Lol, this pokemon is actually really stupid. I've won games just because my opponent clicked "Outrage" or "Draco Meteor" at the wrong time. Slurpuff is my initial switch-in and check to Dragon-types, which is essential to any team in UU. Slurpuff is great on offensive teams because (are you noticing a theme yet?) you don't lose any offensive momentum by switching it in. It's always a threat to go from zero to hero with just one click of a mouse, so it puts a lot of pressure on the opponent to play properly. Slurpuff also acts as a secondary check to Fighting-types. It's possible for a lot of them to nail Chandelure with either Knock Off or Stone Edge on a switch-in, but Slurpuff laughs at both of these and just sets up to +6.
The set is pretty standard. Play Rough is for STAB, Drain Punch is to hit Steel-types, as well as potentially give you greater longevity. Always kill with Drain Punch if possible. I opted for Return over Substitute because the only time I would really want a Sub up is to dodge status, but I don't think there's a lot of pokemon that can really threaten Slurpuff with those moves. Toxic isn't even that bad because I'm still getting to +6 and most likely killing something. Return is just nice to hit Poison-types like Nidoqueen, which this team can struggle with otherwise. The EVs are also fairly standard - 228 Speed allows you to get by Choice Scarf Infernape and Swift Swim Kingdra in rain after your Unburden activates. 28 HP is just to give it some bulk, and you also hit an even number, so you consume Sitrus Berry immediately after a belly drum. The rest is just to hit hard.
Kokoloko (Absol-Mega) @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Sucker Punch
Ahh, here he is. The star of the show. SD Mega Absol was what we initially wanted the team to be based around. It's a very underrated sweeper because it's so frail, but it has a lot of useful traits. Magic Bounce as an ability gives me a secondary option to keep entry hazards away. Sucker Punch gives me a reliable-ish form of Priority, and it allows me to plahy as a revenge killer. Swords Dance gives me sweeping power, while Knock Off supports the team greatly - pokemon like Gligar are supposed to be able to check absol, but without Eviolite they lose a lot of defensive potential. Superpower is just there because we felt it was better than Play Rough on this team - both options are fine. I just figured we'd want the extra out against Steel-types, since Cobalion and Slurpuff both handle Dark-types and Dragon-types fairly well. I'd say more but there's not much else to say.
PKGaming (Heliolisk) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
Heliolisk was the 6th pokemon added to the team. It provides the Scald switch-in that all offensive teams need, as Dry Skin allows it to heal every time it takes a water-types attack. Scald really hampers HO sometimes because the burns can be pesky, so trying to find something to switch in without losing momentum is hard. Heliolisk is a great fit for that role. That being said, it's still quite frail. Even weak Ice Beams do a solid amount of damage to it, and Life Orb certainly doesn't help. Max Power and Speed is obvious, and Life Orb gives it some extra punch. I thought about Choice Scarf but there isn't really anything cool I need to be outspeeding with it, and it doesn't really hit hard enough to make outspeeding those pokemon relevant.
Thunderbolt and Volt Switch both provide STAB, but one allows me to switch out and keep pressure on while the other allows me to pack some extra power. Grass Knot is for Ground-types like Swampert, Krookodile, and the exceedingly rare Rhyperior. Hyper Voice is just another neutral attack to provide some extra coverage against things like Nidoking/Queen, Gligar, and anything that thinks they're cool enough to hide behind a Substitute. The 0 Attack IVs (as well as the ones on Chandelure and Froslass) are so pokemon like Umbreon do an absolutely minimal amount of damage with Foul Play. And if you face a random troll on ladder that decides to use Swagger or something, then you do less to yourself too, but that's not really relevant.
Threatlist:
Trick Room Reuniclus is a huge threat - with Trick Room up it outspeeds the entire team, and it has coverage moves to hit everything save for Slurpuff and Heliolisk for super-effective damage. However to be fair, basically any hyper offensive or standard offensive team is weak to this pokemon. It has a huge amount of power, can't be worn down with status or hazards, and has enough bulk to take any reasonable hit. I usually end up trying to Sucker Punch it with Absol, and then finish it off with Slurpuff, but it still does a ton of damage. CM Reuniclus can be a pain at times as well, but it isn't nearly as threatening since everything on my team outspeeds it. By the same logic:
Hoopa's regular form does a number on my team. Again, under Trick Room it outspeeds EVERYTHING and is even more powerful than Reuniclus is. However thankfully, this pokemon is 4x week to dark, so it's not as difficult to deal with. As long as Absol is alive, I have an out against it. It's also much more frail physically, so if Trick Room wears off, Cobalion can KO it pretty reliably.
Mega Aero is very annoying to deal with. Shuca Cobalion is a cool check to it, but Iron Head with Cobalion's lame base 90 attack stat doesn't actually make it a hard counter/check. Absol and Slurpuff can both check it under the right circumstances, but neither is guaranteed. I've considered Scarf Heliolisk to deal with this more easily but I hate losing the power.
Offensive Fire-types have no switch-ins on this team lol!!! Chandelure is the only fire resistance, and all of these pokemon carry coverage moves. Darmanitan always has either Rock Slide or Earthquake, Entei usually has Stone Edge or Crunch. Infernape can have EQ as well. Arcanine can have Crunch, but that's much less often than the other three. Offensively I have all of these pokemon very reliably checked. Slurpuff can outspeed and KO with Return when Unburden activates, Heliolisk outspeeds all 3 of these, and Absol carries priority Sucker Punch, but defensively I have really poor options, lol.
Offensive Crobat is a threat. Heliolisk is my only resist, and it still gets 2HKO'd, so it can't even switch in. Defensive Bat isn't as much of a problem because my team is generally bulky enough to harass it and force it out, but Sharp Beak/CB Crobat will basically get a kill every time they switch in. It's another reason I've considered Scarf Heliolisk over Life Orb. It's another case of me having this pokemon decently checked on the offensive side, but defensively there's just no options.
In Conclusion
Like I said, I'm really happy to be back in competitive VG, and I'm really hoping to get back to my previous levels of UU accomplishment. This team isn't a God-like team or anything spectacular like that, but it was a very good intro back into the metagame, and boosted me up to a decent ladder ranking fairly quickly. I have an exportable of the team below, feel free to steal it or edit it on your own or whatever have you, I just ask that you keep the nicknames! Thanks for reading, feel free to hit me with some rates!
ExportableWhiteQueen (Froslass) @ Focus Sash
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Ice Beam
Christo (Cobalion) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
RT (Chandelure) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Memento
Psychotic (Slurpuff) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
- Drain Punch
- Return
Kokoloko (Absol-Mega) @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Sucker Punch
PKGaming (Heliolisk) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
Ability: Cursed Body
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Spikes
- Taunt
- Destiny Bond
- Ice Beam
Christo (Cobalion) @ Shuca Berry
Ability: Justified
EVs: 4 HP / 252 Atk / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Stealth Rock
- Swords Dance
- Close Combat
- Iron Head
RT (Chandelure) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Flash Fire
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
- Fire Blast
- Shadow Ball
- Trick
- Memento
Psychotic (Slurpuff) @ Sitrus Berry
Ability: Unburden
EVs: 28 HP / 252 Atk / 228 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Belly Drum
- Play Rough
- Drain Punch
- Return
Kokoloko (Absol-Mega) @ Absolite
Ability: Justified
EVs: 252 Atk / 4 Def / 252 Spe
Jolly Nature
- Swords Dance
- Knock Off
- Superpower
- Sucker Punch
PKGaming (Heliolisk) @ Life Orb
Ability: Dry Skin
EVs: 252 SpA / 4 SpD / 252 Spe
Timid Nature
IVs: 0 Atk
- Thunderbolt
- Volt Switch
- Grass Knot
- Hyper Voice
