LonelyNess
Makin' PK Love
So I’ve actually only ever submitted a single RMT. It was a long time ago, and was an Explosion team that, let’s face it, wasn’t that good. Since then however, I’ve become somewhat proficient in UU. And with all of the UU teams I’ve rated, I figure maybe I should lead by example…
And so I present to you: LonelyBalance
Team at a Glance
----------------------
The Lead
Steelix (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Why This Pokemon?
One’s lead in Pokemon should always have a specific purpose, one that sets up momentum for the player and allows for advantage. My Steelix does just that. Its main objective is to set up Stealth Rock, and with the current state of UU leads being either weather enducers, or Status leads, Steelix does an extremely good job. I welcome these suicide Nidos that have popped up lately, because it means a free kill for my team… and personally I feel a kill is more valuable than Rocks.
Another reason for Steelix is that simply, it walls so many things. It keeps Swellow at bay, as well as so many other Physical threats that would simply run through my only other answer to physical beasties (like those Pokemon with Rock STAB). I couldn’t live with any other Pokemon.
Why This Set?
Earthquake is a no brainer on any Steelix set. It provides consistent STAB, and is Super Effective against a large portion of the UU metagame. That and a Steelix without STAB is just blasphemy. Stealth Rock is pretty self explanatory as well. It provides Steelix with something to do while it sits there soaking up hits, as well as is the main purpose of him being in the lead position to begin with. Gyro Ball is on the set because Glaceon fails to OHKO this Steelix with so much emphasis on Special Defense. With Gyro Ball, I can do ~75% to Glaceon, which with Stealth Rocks is a OHKO. I originally had Crunch on the set in order to hit Rotom and Claydol, but I realized that I already had enough checks on those two Pokemon, that a further check on Glaceon was warrented. The Evs on this set seem unorthodox, but in all honesty, Steelix doesn’t need any kind of boost to its defense. Its defense is already so beefy that it needs no help from Evs or even a +Nature to do its job. I go for a Max HP / Max SpD spread because 351 / 254 is actually not that bad specially defensively. For example, my Steelix always survives a Life Orb Flamethrower from Ninetales without a Nasty Plot boost, and has a chance to survive against Fire Blast. He obviously returns with an OHKO with Earthquake. Long story short, Special Defensive Steelix is just the best way to go.
----------------
The Core
These four Pokemon make up the core of my team, and work off each other’s weaknesses and resistances in order to slowly wear down the opponent for ONE of them to make a sweep. All are potent in what they do, and can sweep at a moment’s notice. They are also all quite bulky, which is important because they must be able to switch in and out with each other consistently throughout the match. Notice how none of them are Stealth Rock weak… that was done on purpose in order to lessen the penalty of switching a lot.
Clefable (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/152 Def/104 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Softboiled
Why This Pokemon?
I couldn’t really tell you why I chose Clefable over any other Pokemon. Mainly I needed something that I could switch in reliably to the majority of Pokemon and NOT be OHKOd. This was incredibly important to me because there are many Pokemon in UU who are capable of running more than one set, and the chance for a misprediction was far too great before Clefable was on the team. Clefable is simply put not OHKOd by anything unless it’s Fighting typed. This allows me to atleast make a judgement of how to asses the problem. Furthermore, assigning my “set discoverer” to a Pokemon that doesn’t add much to the resistance chain of my core means that the penalty for losing Clefable isn’t that high.
Why This Set?
To be honest, this set was really only chosen because it is Clefable’s best chance for a sweep in UU, not to mention it completely wrecks UU Stall, which could be a problem for me considering I have a team that is of a Balanced nature. This set also takes advantage of the opponent using Mantine. With Clefable I get a free Calm Mind, or a chance to hit an incoming sweeper with an attack and tack a little bit of extra damage onto it. If I was going to change a set, or even an entire Pokemon. Clefable’s would be it.
Venusaur (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 72 HP/184 Spe/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Energy Ball
Why This Pokemon?
Why Venusaur? Simply put, he gets the job done. He provides a much needed 4X grass resist that protects my Gastrodon from getting blown to pieces. He also packs the necessary power to break through nearly everything that UU can throw at him. He also “absorbs” Toxics that are directed at my sweepers that dislike it (read: Gastrodon and Camerupt). As well, Venusaur lets my team take some of the strain off of Weezing through his Fighting resist, making Venusaur my first switch-in to TechTop if I know the rest of my opponent’s team and they have more than one Fighting type Pokemon.
Why This Set?
Max Special Attack Choice Specs Venusaur allows me to not have to predict at all. He does crazy damage to nearly every threat in UU. There is no Special wall that can avoid a 2HKO from Venusaur if there are Stealth Rocks down, meaning that unless the opponent predicts correctly and gets in a Grass resistant Pokemon, they are going to lose something. Even then, they have to be packing a fairly specific set of Pokemon that can actually threaten Venusaur now that they’ve barely survived a CS Leaf Storm. I use this set because it provides an instant threat that the opponent must manage. This not only keeps the opponent on their toes, but gives me something to go to if I can’t set up the sweep on one of my other core players.
Lapras (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 120 HP/136 SAtk/252 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Ice Beam
---
Why This Pokemon?
I chose Lapras because of a few reasons. It has great Special Defense, Water Absorb, Ice STAB, and acces to Electric moves that compliment that STAB perfectly. Lapras may not be able to complete a sweep, but it lures in Grass types that my Venusaur can take advantage of. It also brings in the Electric types that my Camerupt can take advantage of. And surprisingly it brings in Drifblim, which Clefable takes advantage of. Its typing, along with its amazing stats allow it to perform a multitude of roles on my team.
Why This Set?
The EVs given ensure that Lapras is not 2HKOd by Omastar's (And Gorebyss by extension) HP Electric or Grass even after Stealth Rock. This also allows for her to take Hidden Power Fighting from Glaceon like a champ. Thunder may be inaccurate, but I need the extra power to kill foes using Rain Dance. Without it, they may lose their Rain Dance sweeper, but I could possibly lose Lapras in the process. Plus, during an opponent's Rain Dance, it is 100% accurate anyway. Outside of Rain Dance, Lapras has plenty of bulk to afford a few misses with Thunder. Ice Beam provides consistent STAB as well as another way to damage things if I don't want to rely on Thunder missing. Rest and Sleep Talk round out the set because it would be bad if I lost Lapras early in the match and I still needed it to take on threats like Glaceon or a last minute Rain sweep by Omastar or Gorebyss.
Camerupt (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 12 HP/244 Spe/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Earth Power
- Explosion
- Rock Polish
- Fire Blast
Why This Pokemon?
Water / Grass / Fire is an amazing defensive combo. The only thing keeping it from greatness is the fact that Fire is weak to Stealth Rock, which limits the ability to continuously switch around. Fire / Ground is an amazing typing, and with Solid Rock, it only gets better. Couple that with Camerupt’s good stats and great STAB moves, and it’s really a no brainer why I’ve chosen Camerupt for my Fire Pokemon.
Why This Set?
If you’ve ever read my UU Metagame Analysis, you’ll know why I’ve chosen this set. It absolutely wrecks an opponent’s team, and has plenty of chances to switch in… like on Ninetales / Rotom / etc… This set has single handedly nearly half of my matches due to nothing but the sheer unpreparedness of the opposing team. Fear this set, or watch as you are 6-0’d
-----------------
The Glue
With my core in place, I saw that there were a good number of Pokemon that, even if they couldn’t risk switching in, they would still destroy my team on a revenge switch. Thus, I needed a “glue” Pokemon in order to hold everything together. I assessed the threats, and added the best solution possible to the team.
Weezing (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Will-o-wisp
- Thunderbolt
Why This Pokemon?
I needed a Pokemon that could take care of all of the Fighting types of UU, as well as Drapion, Skuntank, and Absol. These were of the utmost importance because with my Fire / Water / Grass resistance chain, special attackers were kept at bay, and Steelix covers all Physical threat except for these Pokemon. I first had Claydol in this slot because it covered the Fighting types, but upon play testing, I found that I had a huge Absol / Drapion weakness. I used Weezing because it can stop everything that previously tore the team a new one.
Why This Set?
I knew that I had to keep Weezing alive and healthy the entire battle if I was going to keep my team held together. This meant that Rest / Sleep Talk was a necessity because I couldn’t rely on the unpredictability of Pain Split for recovery. Will-O-Wisp is there to cripple the opponents so that my core can take them on one on one. I decided that Thunderbolt was the best move because it was neutral or super effective on the majority of Pokemon that threaten Weezing. The fact that Ground types are immune to Thunderbolt is a moot point as none of the UU ground types bar Gastrodon have any kind of recovery, meaning that a Burn and subsequent Rest stall will beat them every time through passive damage. It’s the same set I use on my Bulky Rotom, and it works for the same reasons.
And so I present to you: LonelyBalance
Team at a Glance
----------------------
The Lead
Steelix (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Rock Head
EVs: 252 HP/4 Atk/252 SDef
Sassy nature (+SDef, -Spd)
- Earthquake
- Gyro Ball
- Stealth Rock
- Roar
Why This Pokemon?
One’s lead in Pokemon should always have a specific purpose, one that sets up momentum for the player and allows for advantage. My Steelix does just that. Its main objective is to set up Stealth Rock, and with the current state of UU leads being either weather enducers, or Status leads, Steelix does an extremely good job. I welcome these suicide Nidos that have popped up lately, because it means a free kill for my team… and personally I feel a kill is more valuable than Rocks.
Another reason for Steelix is that simply, it walls so many things. It keeps Swellow at bay, as well as so many other Physical threats that would simply run through my only other answer to physical beasties (like those Pokemon with Rock STAB). I couldn’t live with any other Pokemon.
Why This Set?
Earthquake is a no brainer on any Steelix set. It provides consistent STAB, and is Super Effective against a large portion of the UU metagame. That and a Steelix without STAB is just blasphemy. Stealth Rock is pretty self explanatory as well. It provides Steelix with something to do while it sits there soaking up hits, as well as is the main purpose of him being in the lead position to begin with. Gyro Ball is on the set because Glaceon fails to OHKO this Steelix with so much emphasis on Special Defense. With Gyro Ball, I can do ~75% to Glaceon, which with Stealth Rocks is a OHKO. I originally had Crunch on the set in order to hit Rotom and Claydol, but I realized that I already had enough checks on those two Pokemon, that a further check on Glaceon was warrented. The Evs on this set seem unorthodox, but in all honesty, Steelix doesn’t need any kind of boost to its defense. Its defense is already so beefy that it needs no help from Evs or even a +Nature to do its job. I go for a Max HP / Max SpD spread because 351 / 254 is actually not that bad specially defensively. For example, my Steelix always survives a Life Orb Flamethrower from Ninetales without a Nasty Plot boost, and has a chance to survive against Fire Blast. He obviously returns with an OHKO with Earthquake. Long story short, Special Defensive Steelix is just the best way to go.
----------------
The Core
These four Pokemon make up the core of my team, and work off each other’s weaknesses and resistances in order to slowly wear down the opponent for ONE of them to make a sweep. All are potent in what they do, and can sweep at a moment’s notice. They are also all quite bulky, which is important because they must be able to switch in and out with each other consistently throughout the match. Notice how none of them are Stealth Rock weak… that was done on purpose in order to lessen the penalty of switching a lot.
Clefable (M) @ Toxic Orb
Ability: Magic Guard
EVs: 252 HP/152 Def/104 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Calm Mind
- Thunderbolt
- Ice Beam
- Softboiled
Why This Pokemon?
I couldn’t really tell you why I chose Clefable over any other Pokemon. Mainly I needed something that I could switch in reliably to the majority of Pokemon and NOT be OHKOd. This was incredibly important to me because there are many Pokemon in UU who are capable of running more than one set, and the chance for a misprediction was far too great before Clefable was on the team. Clefable is simply put not OHKOd by anything unless it’s Fighting typed. This allows me to atleast make a judgement of how to asses the problem. Furthermore, assigning my “set discoverer” to a Pokemon that doesn’t add much to the resistance chain of my core means that the penalty for losing Clefable isn’t that high.
Why This Set?
To be honest, this set was really only chosen because it is Clefable’s best chance for a sweep in UU, not to mention it completely wrecks UU Stall, which could be a problem for me considering I have a team that is of a Balanced nature. This set also takes advantage of the opponent using Mantine. With Clefable I get a free Calm Mind, or a chance to hit an incoming sweeper with an attack and tack a little bit of extra damage onto it. If I was going to change a set, or even an entire Pokemon. Clefable’s would be it.
Venusaur (M) @ Choice Specs
Ability: Overgrow
EVs: 72 HP/184 Spe/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Leaf Storm
- Sludge Bomb
- Hidden Power [Ice]
- Energy Ball
Why This Pokemon?
Why Venusaur? Simply put, he gets the job done. He provides a much needed 4X grass resist that protects my Gastrodon from getting blown to pieces. He also packs the necessary power to break through nearly everything that UU can throw at him. He also “absorbs” Toxics that are directed at my sweepers that dislike it (read: Gastrodon and Camerupt). As well, Venusaur lets my team take some of the strain off of Weezing through his Fighting resist, making Venusaur my first switch-in to TechTop if I know the rest of my opponent’s team and they have more than one Fighting type Pokemon.
Why This Set?
Max Special Attack Choice Specs Venusaur allows me to not have to predict at all. He does crazy damage to nearly every threat in UU. There is no Special wall that can avoid a 2HKO from Venusaur if there are Stealth Rocks down, meaning that unless the opponent predicts correctly and gets in a Grass resistant Pokemon, they are going to lose something. Even then, they have to be packing a fairly specific set of Pokemon that can actually threaten Venusaur now that they’ve barely survived a CS Leaf Storm. I use this set because it provides an instant threat that the opponent must manage. This not only keeps the opponent on their toes, but gives me something to go to if I can’t set up the sweep on one of my other core players.
Lapras (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Water Absorb
EVs: 120 HP/136 SAtk/252 SDef
Calm nature (+SDef, -Atk)
- Thunder
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Ice Beam
---
Why This Pokemon?
I chose Lapras because of a few reasons. It has great Special Defense, Water Absorb, Ice STAB, and acces to Electric moves that compliment that STAB perfectly. Lapras may not be able to complete a sweep, but it lures in Grass types that my Venusaur can take advantage of. It also brings in the Electric types that my Camerupt can take advantage of. And surprisingly it brings in Drifblim, which Clefable takes advantage of. Its typing, along with its amazing stats allow it to perform a multitude of roles on my team.
Why This Set?
The EVs given ensure that Lapras is not 2HKOd by Omastar's (And Gorebyss by extension) HP Electric or Grass even after Stealth Rock. This also allows for her to take Hidden Power Fighting from Glaceon like a champ. Thunder may be inaccurate, but I need the extra power to kill foes using Rain Dance. Without it, they may lose their Rain Dance sweeper, but I could possibly lose Lapras in the process. Plus, during an opponent's Rain Dance, it is 100% accurate anyway. Outside of Rain Dance, Lapras has plenty of bulk to afford a few misses with Thunder. Ice Beam provides consistent STAB as well as another way to damage things if I don't want to rely on Thunder missing. Rest and Sleep Talk round out the set because it would be bad if I lost Lapras early in the match and I still needed it to take on threats like Glaceon or a last minute Rain sweep by Omastar or Gorebyss.
Camerupt (M) @ Life Orb
Ability: Solid Rock
EVs: 12 HP/244 Spe/252 SAtk
Modest nature (+SAtk, -Atk)
- Earth Power
- Explosion
- Rock Polish
- Fire Blast
Why This Pokemon?
Water / Grass / Fire is an amazing defensive combo. The only thing keeping it from greatness is the fact that Fire is weak to Stealth Rock, which limits the ability to continuously switch around. Fire / Ground is an amazing typing, and with Solid Rock, it only gets better. Couple that with Camerupt’s good stats and great STAB moves, and it’s really a no brainer why I’ve chosen Camerupt for my Fire Pokemon.
Why This Set?
If you’ve ever read my UU Metagame Analysis, you’ll know why I’ve chosen this set. It absolutely wrecks an opponent’s team, and has plenty of chances to switch in… like on Ninetales / Rotom / etc… This set has single handedly nearly half of my matches due to nothing but the sheer unpreparedness of the opposing team. Fear this set, or watch as you are 6-0’d
-----------------
The Glue
With my core in place, I saw that there were a good number of Pokemon that, even if they couldn’t risk switching in, they would still destroy my team on a revenge switch. Thus, I needed a “glue” Pokemon in order to hold everything together. I assessed the threats, and added the best solution possible to the team.
Weezing (M) @ Leftovers
Ability: Levitate
EVs: 252 HP/252 Def/4 SAtk
Bold nature (+Def, -Atk)
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Will-o-wisp
- Thunderbolt
Why This Pokemon?
I needed a Pokemon that could take care of all of the Fighting types of UU, as well as Drapion, Skuntank, and Absol. These were of the utmost importance because with my Fire / Water / Grass resistance chain, special attackers were kept at bay, and Steelix covers all Physical threat except for these Pokemon. I first had Claydol in this slot because it covered the Fighting types, but upon play testing, I found that I had a huge Absol / Drapion weakness. I used Weezing because it can stop everything that previously tore the team a new one.
Why This Set?
I knew that I had to keep Weezing alive and healthy the entire battle if I was going to keep my team held together. This meant that Rest / Sleep Talk was a necessity because I couldn’t rely on the unpredictability of Pain Split for recovery. Will-O-Wisp is there to cripple the opponents so that my core can take them on one on one. I decided that Thunderbolt was the best move because it was neutral or super effective on the majority of Pokemon that threaten Weezing. The fact that Ground types are immune to Thunderbolt is a moot point as none of the UU ground types bar Gastrodon have any kind of recovery, meaning that a Burn and subsequent Rest stall will beat them every time through passive damage. It’s the same set I use on my Bulky Rotom, and it works for the same reasons.